All NEW Centon: Scattered Ashes: The Alternate Version
by Punk Drunk Love
Summary: When a series of realistic nightmares begin affecting John Cena's waking life, he discovers that Randy is a vampire and the dreams are an unintentional side-effect of Randy's intense feelings for John. As the two grow closer, werewolf leader Justin Gabriel tries to claim John as well. Tensions come to a head when John is bitten & only physical love from Gabriel can cure him.
1. Chapter 1

Author's Note: This is the 13-chapter alternate version of Scattered Ashes, a Centon novel. A large part of the material is similar, while later chapters feature re-written and all new scenes. I don't claim to own any rights to WWE or its affiliates. This story is for entertainment purposes, only.

1:

_Everything was pitch black. Everything except a small light in the ring. I walked down the ramp towards it, feeling strangely out of place without the usual noises like the roar of the audience and my theme music blaring through the tron speakers. _

_It was quiet. All I could hear were the sound of my sneakers squeaking against the metal ramp as I walked closer to the ring. There was no one in the ring at first, just the small light reflecting off of the white mat, but as I came closer, I could see more clearly, and Randy and Punk came into view._

_Randy had his arms folded and he was watching me with a concerned expression, warning me not to come closer. I stopped and looked over at Punk. He was much darker and more ominous looking. Punk reached out to me and his fingernails looked long and pointed like claws. He smiled, revealing two fangs in place of his canine teeth. I stared at his fangs, and they made me feel sick inside. My head started spinning, and I blinked, noticing that there were other wrestlers behind Randy and Punk, but they were completely in darkness, and I knew that they were not human, either. _

"_Don't be afraid, John," Randy's voice echoed through my head._

I gasped and sat up in bed. I shook my head to get the nightmare out of my thoughts, and wiped my face clean of sweat. It took me almost a minute before I could open my eyes and look around.

I was in a hotel room. The same one I was in when I fell asleep. I could see the room and I could tell myself that I was here the whole time, but a part of me felt like I was really in that dark arena, staring at Randy and Punk in the ring.

Picking up my watch on the nightstand, I checked the time. It was still the early morning hours, but I knew I wouldn't get back to sleep.

I had been having these nightmares about the wrestlers being vampires for the last three weeks. They came on without warning, and they almost always featured Randy Orton and CM Punk, but sometimes Batista was there, too, which I thought was odd, considering he had left the WWE almost a year ago, and I had never dreamed of him before.

What bothered me about the dreams was not that my friends and former rivals were appearing to me in the form of vampires, but what bothered me was how real the fear felt encountering them in the dreams. I'd never had many fears, and whenever I did, I made it a point to face them, but this kind of fear was different. It seemed warped, unreasonable and incomprehensible.

I was feeling afraid of wrestlers coming to me in the form of Romanian legends.

Sighing loudly to ease my own frustrations, I got out of bed and went to the bathroom to take a shower. I couldn't believe that these silly nightmares were actually keeping me up at night. I knew that my fellow wrestlers weren't vampires, that was obvious to me, but whatever they were representing in these dreams, it was, quite honestly, scaring the shit out of me.

* * *

"Cena? Cena, you awake?"

I opened my eyes and sat up straight. I was sitting at the table in one of the rooms backstage, and I must've dozed off at some point. I looked up to see who was talking to me, and I realized it was none other than CM Punk.

He smiled and asked, "You look like shit. The bags under your eyes are even bigger than mine."

I snorted a laugh and answered weakly, "Yeah, I've just been having trouble sleeping is all."

"I can see that. Sorry that I woke you up, then," Punk sat down at the empty chair across from me.

I rubbed the sleep out of my eyes and replied, "It's no big deal. I shouldn't be napping right now, anyway."

Punk looked around at the other wrestlers and Divas in the room, then he leaned into me for more privacy and said quietly, "May I ask what's keeping you from a good night's sleep?"

I knew that Punk was big on the Straight Edge stuff, and judging from the look on his face, he was assuming I would say something pertaining to late night parties and clubbing, a habit that some of the other wrestlers had and I liked to be a part of when I could, but I simply smiled at him and replied, "Would you believe it's nightmares about you?"

Punk blinked and sat back with astonishment. I suddenly felt stupid for blurting it out, so I said sheepishly, "Sorry, I know it sounds really idiotic."

Shaking his head, Punk leaned back in and replied, "It doesn't sound idiotic at all. You know, I dabbled in dream interpretation while I was in high school. I kept having the same dream about a washer that ate my clothes, and I learned a lot about dream symbolism and how it affects people."

Inspired by Punk's knowledge, I explained quickly, "I've been dreaming that you and Randy and Batista are vampires, and there are some other wrestlers with you, but I can't make them out."

Punk's eyes went wide and he mentioned, "No shit, Batista? He's due to come back tomorrow night on RAW."

"He is? I didn't know that," I was legitimately surprised.

Punk went on, saying, "Besides the coincidence of Batista, I've read that vampires in dreams are usually symbolic of issues in waking life that are draining you dry. These issues are being represented by me, Randy and Batista, obviously. The wrestlers in the dark might be other issues that are related to what's bothering you, but you're not ready to face them yet, or you haven't become consciously aware of them."

I was totally immersed in his words as Punk finished with, "I'm one of your rivals on the show right now, and Randy is your best friend, and Batista is your former rival. We're probably representing what's bothering you because we're familiar to you."

"Well, what do I do to stop the dreams?" I asked curiously.

Punk looked at me knowingly and answered, "You probably work the hardest around here, John. You're the face of the company, and you have to do everything ten times more than any of the rest of us to keep the WWE on top, but that kind of work all the time can burn a man out fast."

I knew what he was getting at, and I gave him a hard look because I didn't want to hear it. He put his hands up in defeat and said, "John, I'm not saying give it up. I'm just saying that a vacation might give you some much needed rest and relaxation, and who knows? The dreams will probably stop completely."

Normally, I would've blown Punk off and not given his suggestion another thought, but just picturing the nightmares in my mind was making the fear rise up within me again, so I nodded and said, "Maybe you're right. I guess I haven't had any time off for like...years."

Punk nodded and I added, "But what if I come back from vacation and I'm still having the dreams?"

Lowering his gaze to ponder the question, I thought I saw the corner of Punk's lip twitch. That kind of reaction usually happened to me when I was trying to keep my emotions in check, and I couldn't help wondering if Punk were possibly having the same problem.

He looked back up at me and replied easily, "Issues can come in a lot of forms, John. If it's not the need for a vacation, then you may have to keep going down the list until you've faced that something...or _someone_ that is bothering you."

I considered my options and said with a nod, "I guess you're right. There's no way to fix the problem unless I take a break and start back fresh."

Punk shrugged and stood up to leave. I told him, "Thank you for your input. It helps."

"No problem, John. Make sure you stay away from reading the Twilight series on vacation, okay?" he smiled before turning to leave.

For just a second, I swore Punk had fangs.

I blinked to take another look, but he was already turned away and leaving the room.

Putting my head in my hands, I made a heavy and exhausted sigh and said to myself, "I've gotta get some sleep, or I might go Buffy on these guys."

* * *

After the house show that evening, I went back to my hotel room and got on my laptop. I fully intended to actually get some work done, but somehow my fingers _accidentally_ typed the term "vampire dream symbol" into the search engine, and two hours later, I was still totally immersed in the overwhelming amount of research on the subject of vampires and dreams.

Most of the dream dictionaries had the same meaning for vampires: conflicting feelings, anxiety and feelings of helplessness, feeling attacked, drained or overwhelmed by someone or something in waking life, negativity, struggle, exhaustion, and all that other not-so-good stuff.

Punk's words earlier were becoming more clear with each website I checked out. They all told me exactly what he did: you're overwhelmed and exhausted. You're dreaming about vampires because your waking life is draining you dry.

I don't know how many sites I had checked before I glanced at my watch again and realized it was after midnight. I rolled my eyes and told myself, "I'm being such a Yabba-Dabba bitch," finally taking Punk's words into more serious consideration as I started to close my laptop.

A word caught my eye, and I put the screen back up to take a closer look. I was on page 11 of the search results, and one of the websites on the list was titled: _VAMPIRES, LOVERS, AND DREAMS_.

I snorted and said aloud, "Lovers. Right."

I read the caption anyway, assuming it was probably some tribute site to Robert Pattinson like some of the other sites I had already looked at, but I was surprised to find a familiar phrase in the site's description:

_Vampires couple just like humans do, but the difference_

_is that vampires are heightened in all aspects of themselves,_

_including their physical, emotional, and mental levels. This _

_means that, when a vampire feels deeply for another, their bond_

_is most often seen by the source of their desires in dreams. If _

_the source is human, these dreams can appear in the form of_

_nightmares and be overwhelmingly frightening to a human,_

_because the intensity of a vampire is so much stronger. _

I don't really know why I clicked on the link. I was taken to a page made of white text and a feathered gray background that moved in a soft, flowing motion, appearing like the slow beating of angel wings. I skimmed through the text, reading whatever stood out to me the most, and I was astonished by what it said:

_True vampires are not like they are in folklore. Superstition_

_and modern franchising has almost completely altered the truth_

_about vampires themselves. The most common misconception is_

_that vampires are cold, lifeless creatures. True vampires can in fact_

_appear completely alive. They have a heartbeat, their bodies are lukewarm, _

_and any medical test that is done on them will come out with healthy results._

_The biggest difference is that the blood running through their veins is not their own,_

_But is the blood supply drunk from their victims._

_Vampires do not need to drink blood regularly to survive. They can_

_go for several weeks without blood, but most commonly, true vampires will_

_drink at least once every two weeks. They MUST drink the blood of a human._

_There is no exception to this rule. Most true vampires will obtain the blood they_

_need from people that are not missed by the general public, such as abusers or_

_murderers. Most often, they choose people who are already dying. This is_

_believed to be a psychological representation of redeeming themselves for_

_their violent ways, which may be interpreted as a sign that vampires are_

_not entirely inhuman in nature. _

_True vampires are not impulsive and they do not attack at the sight of_

_blood. In fact, they can perceive a large amount of blood without _

_flinching. There are some exceptions to this rule, however, and some_

_vampires are not able to fully control their thirst. _

_Vampires can completely resemble the personality they had as_

_humans, however their personality is amplified in supernatural_

_form. This means that their faults are also amplified, and to avoid_

_being discovered by the general public, true vampires are monitored_

_by group leaders, who are in turn monitored by district managers, who are_

_in turn monitored by judges. The judges are the oldest and most prominent_

_vampires, while the district managers are usually several hundred to a thousand_

_years old, and they are primarily responsible for creating more vampires. _

_Group leaders are the most commonly seen vampires in public, although we_

_would probably never know they were there. The groups they monitor appear_

_as normal as anyone else, in large part thanks to modern technology that allows_

_them to use spray tanning to hide their pale skin, as well as new fads in _

_skincare that allow them to hide the fact that they age much more slowly _

_than humans._

_Vampires are not endangered by sunlight, although they prefer dark, moist_

_environments and they don't normally stay in the sunlight for long periods of _

_time. Crosses, holy water and other religious symbolism does nothing to deter_

_a true vampire. These are superstitions birthed from the belief that vampires_

_are evil. The misconception that vampires do not appear in mirrors, photography_

_or cameras is also a belief based on the idea that they are soulless and it has no_

_basis on truth. Vampires cannot possibly be soulless and evil because they_

_are capable of love._

_Love is the strongest emotion of a true vampire next to anger. Most humans_

_are not aware of these intense emotions unless they are born of the birthmark_

_that represents their connection to the vampire world. This birthmark has no_

_specific shape, but can be found on the right inner thigh, and is deep crimson_

_in color. Humans with this birthmark may have their awareness of vampires_

_their entire lives, or it may be triggered unconsciously at a given moment in time._

_This unconscious trigger is most likely the reason that these humans are most_

_aware of vampires during the dream state. _

I paused for a moment. Swallowing hard, I looked down at my right inner thigh, where a blood red stain had marked my skin since I was born. My mom always said it looked like God had dabbed my inner thigh with a paintbrush to mark me as unique from the rest of the world. Since it was easy to hide, no one ever mentioned it and I wrestled in jeans, so it was never visible in the ring, either. I had thought little of it until now, and something inside of me told me that it wasn't just a coincidence.

I scrolled to the bottom of the page and read the last caption:

_A vampire's connection to their lover is not set in stone as it is with werewolves. _

_True vampires tend to be competitive by nature, and challenges to win_

_the lovers is common. In rare cases, a group leader my challenge a member_

_of their group, and in this case, conflicts can be extensive and usually end_

_in death. Marked humans are especially rare to vampires, and inspire_

_the most competitiveness. There is usually a single vampire that the marked_

_human is rightfully connected to, and the human will know in their heart_

_who that rightful vampire is. _

Without even thinking about it, an image of Randy instantly came into my mind. I pushed it away and searched the bottom of the page for a sign of who the website was designed by, but there was no name, no trademark, not even a copyright or a year.

"That's weird," I mentioned, glancing at my watch again and sighing with frustration as I closed my laptop to get some sleep.

* * *

More nightmares came to me as I slept. Batista was chasing me through the arena with his clawed fingernails trying to slice me to pieces. Punk was trying to reach for me with outstretched arms, his fangs fully exposed.

Fear, fear, fear.

That's all I felt until I saw Randy. He was deep inside of the arena, in some remote place that I had traveled to while still running to get away from Batista. The fear subsided and I asked Randy, "What is this?"

"What do you think it is?" he reflected my question with one of his own.

I woke up in a cold sweat again. I dressed and headed to the next arena, my mind filled with thoughts about what I had read, as well as what I had dreamed. What was Randy trying to tell me? What did it all mean? Was this vampire crap for real? And what was the whole mention of werewolves, too?

My thoughts were still racing through my head as I dressed out in the locker room. There were other wrestlers all around me, but I didn't seem to notice them. R-Truth talked to me for a while about something, but I couldn't even remember what it was. As the wrestlers drifted out of the locker room, I soon found myself alone...with Randy Orton.

"You want to ask me something, John?" he asked suddenly from halfway across the room, breaking me out of my own head.

I looked up at him and replied passively, "No."

He loudly slammed his boot against the bench to lace it up, startling me. I locked eyes with him and he asked me again, "Are you sure you don't want to say anything to me?"

It was like he knew exactly what I was thinking. I shrugged and replied, "It doesn't matter. You wouldn't believe me if I told you."

"Try me," Randy started lacing up his boot while he waited for me to start talking.

I sighed, thinking that I was going to regret it as I asked aloud, "Are you a vampire, Randy Orton?"

He stopped lacing his boot and turned to face me. His expression seemed intense and calm at the same time. I could never read his face to know what he was thinking.

He half-smiled and asked, "Why do you think I'm a vampire?"

I tried to explain, "I've been having these dreams that you and Punk and Batista and some other wrestlers in darkness are all vampires. I talked to Punk and he said that I was just burned out..."

"You talked to Punk?" Randy interrupted me, lifting his eyebrows with surprise.

"Yeah, I did. Anyway, he told me maybe I just need a break. I went online and researched vampires in dreams because I guess I didn't want to admit to myself that I was burned out, and I found this website that talked about true vampires and how they can look and feel and live like us, but they also have this loving connection or something that involves these marked humans, and the birthmark that the site described is just like this one I have and it's in the same place and everything, and it's weird because it even talked about my dreams and how it means that a vampire might be in love with me, and I would know who it was, and I..."

I realized I was rambling and I stopped to look up at Randy again. His expression hadn't changed, and I was sure he was thinking that I had totally lost it, and he was about to laugh awkwardly like people do when they aren't sure if the crazy person is dangerous or not, and then he'll make an excuse to leave and he'll run off to find McMahon and tell him I'm suffering from delusions, probably brought upon by a concussion.

"Do you believe in vampires?" he asked calmly.

I stared at him for several seconds, then I snorted a laugh and got up so I could turn my back on him, saying angrily, "Asshole."

"What did you say?" Randy countered boldly.

I turned back to face him again and yelled, "I know what you're doing, alright? You're going to get me to admit that I believe in vampires, then you're going to start laughing and make me feel like an idiot, then you'll spend the next few months making vampire jokes to torment me until I can't stand it anymore!"

Turning away from him again, I was completely surprised when I heard Randy's voice say from right behind me, "I'm not joking with you."

I whirled around and took a quick step back. Randy was standing before me, and I glanced behind him in confusion, wondering how he had managed to make it halfway across the room so quickly without making any noticeable sound. I looked back at him and said defiantly, "I know your sense of humor and I know you're messing with me right now. Just forget that I said anything, alright?"

He just stood there, so I turned away from him again, hoping he would drop it. He didn't, but said quietly, "Ask me again, John."

"Ask you what?" I asked, glaring at him.

"Ask me if I'm a vampire," Randy said.

He was really pissing me off, and I almost didn't say it, but I was morbidly curious, so I asked once more, "Are you a vampire, Randy?"

He searched my eyes with his own for a long space of time before he answered thickly, "Yes."

Randy's tone didn't come across like his usual dry sarcasm. I knew him long enough to know that he wasn't joking.

I wasn't sure what to say next, so I asked the first question that popped into my mind, "Well, how come you didn't tell me about this sooner? I mean, we've been friends for like, ten years!"

"John," Randy started, knowing that I wasn't taking the situation seriously.

Putting my hands up in defeat, I told him, "I don't believe in vampires, alright? I don't believe _you_ are a vampire, and I want to drop this now."

"I can't," he tried to start again, but I turned to leave.

I was almost at the locker room door when Randy asked me, "Do you want proof?"

Slowly, I turned back to face him again. A part of me was excited to know what he meant, but another part of me was fearful of what I might see. I cleared my throat and answered quietly, "Yeah, I guess."

Randy cautiously made his way toward me. When he came close, I moved back until I was against the wall and he was just inches from me. He reached up with his right hand and brushed his upper lip with the ends of his fingertips to reveal the top lining of his gums, and there I could see two small holes above his canine teeth. Randy flexed his jaw, and two long, thin fangs like those of a snake projected out of the small holes and came down in front of the canine teeth, while the points of the canines themselves grew longer and sharpened.

They looked just like the fangs I saw in my dream, but I hadn't been close enough to ever realize the canines mutated as well. I studied them with my eyes for a moment, imagining that the fangs were for piercing the skin, while the canines looked like they were designed for tearing or shredding.

I reached up to touch the fangs, and Randy immediately fell back away from me, lowering his head and closing himself off to me.

"Uh...I'm sorry, I just wanted...I mean...does it bother you? Do I...bother you?" I asked.

I could only gather experience from what I had seen in the movies, where vampires usually couldn't be around humans without hearing their heartbeat or smelling their blood or whatever the hell else they sensed. Randy chuckled and replied, "It's not like that, John. If I were that sensitive to human contact, I couldn't be a wrestler."

He had a massive point. I nodded and asked, "Well then, what is it?"

Randy looked away from me and said quietly, "I've just...never shown this to anyone who mattered to me before."

His words seemed cryptic, like he meant to say something more, but I couldn't tell what it was. Randy moved closer to me again and asked in a lighter tone, "Want to see something else?"

"Okay," I answered, watching him curiously.

His eyes locked with mine, and I stared at him with awe as the veins in his entire face went black, and his blue-green eyes lightened until they were almost placid. I stared so deeply into them, I could only see myself reflecting back at me.

"Wow, that's awesome," I whispered.

The black veins faded and Randy's eyes returned to normal. He smiled slightly at me and asked, "Are you alright?"

I had to blink a few times to realize where I was as I replied, "Yeah, yeah, I'm fine."

"It's a little hypnotic trick that I can do. I didn't know how to explain it to you, so I thought I'd just show it to you instead," Randy said.

"Cool. What else can you do?" I asked, suddenly extremely curious.

"We don't have time now. We need to get to the ring," Randy told me.

He started for the door like he had done nothing out of the ordinary. I moved in his way to stop him and said, "Wait a minute! Aren't we going to talk about this?"

"Later, John," Randy replied shortly, reaching for the door again.

I moved to stop him again and asked him quickly, "There's something you're not telling me. What's going on?"

Randy sighed and said, "Close your eyes, John."

"Why?" I asked, but Randy repeated more sternly, "Close your eyes."

I did as he instructed, then I waited impatiently for him to tell me to open them again.

I could sense Randy as he came close to me. I could feel his hot breath against my cheek as he pressed his lips to my ear and whispered, "_I'm_ the one who desires you, John. _I'm_ the one making you dream. I don't want to hurt you, but I can't stop it now."

There was a sudden burst of air, followed by the sound of fluttering like wings. I opened my eyes, but Randy was gone, somehow vanishing out of the room when I was holding the only exit shut.

"Oh shit," I said to myself.


	2. Chapter 2

2:

_I was completely in darkness again, but I could hear moaning coming from somewhere in the room. I couldn't tell if they were moans of pain or moans of pleasure, but it sounded like a little of both, so I made my way towards the sound for lack of a better idea._

_The darkness seemed to move with me, like it was just a blanket over me that I could easily pull off if I wanted to, but when I reached out to touch it, the darkness expanded and I couldn't seem to hold onto it. _

_Continuing toward the moaning sounds, I was surprised when the darkness suddenly gave way and I saw Randy lying face down in a bed surrounded by red silk blankets. As I came closer, I realized he was naked and someone was underneath him, but the blankets were pulled up to his waist so I couldn't see the other person._

_I felt no concern for the situation as I walked over to the side of the bed and asked, "Randy?"_

_He ignored me and turned to one side to kiss the neck of his bed-mate. I turned to look at them, and I gasped in my dream as I saw myself lying underneath Randy with my eyes closed, and I realized I was the one who was moaning. I watched as Randy kissed from my neck down to my chest, then down my abs, then he slid underneath the red silk sheets. _

_The me in the bed arched his back and groaned loudly, and I didn't have to look under the blanket to know what Randy was doing to him._

_The me still standing began breathing fast, and I could actually feel the stimulation from watching myself getting off from the dream Randy. I couldn't help it, somehow it was like he was really doing these things to me. Watching the me in bed react was both surreal and additionally stimulating. _

_Seeing myself getting off was making me...get off._

"_John," I heard someone whisper behind me._

_I turned around and Punk bore his fangs, lunging at me with the speed of a wild animal. I felt him pierce my throat, and it was a pain like being stung by a thousand wasps. _

I was up with a start, but this time, I unintentionally came from the stimulation of the dream, staining the sheets of my hotel room bed.

Gasping for breath, I wiped the sweat from my face and cursed at myself, "Shit."

I couldn't help laughing out loud at the situation. I hadn't had a wet dream for a long, long time, but here I am, spewing my seed all over a rented bed after having a nightmare about getting sucked off by Randy Orton and venomously bitten by CM Punk.

Glancing at my watch, I became frustrated when I realized I had only been asleep for a little over an hour. I knew I wouldn't fall asleep again, so I got out of bed and grabbed the stained sheets.

I remembered passing a laundry room on the 2nd floor. It wasn't actually supposed to be for guests, but it was 4 in the morning, and I really didn't want to leave the sheets as they were for some poor maid to find them. They had enough work to do without adding the release of pent up male sexual frustration to the list.

There was no one in the hallways, yet I crept my way to the 2nd floor like a kid hoarding a shitload of candy past his big brothers. It wasn't soon enough when I finally found the laundry room, and I made sure no one was inside before I took the washer furthest from the door and stashed my sheets in there.

I stared at the washer dial for a good ten minutes, trying to decide if my sheets were considered delicate, light, or regular.

"Shit, shit, shit. Come on, John Cena, you can AA a dude into the announcer's table, but you can't turn on a washer?" I scolded myself.

I was almost ready to close my eyes and point to a random setting when I heard Randy's voice ask, "What are you doing in here, John?"

Startled, I whirled around to face him. He was standing in the doorway with his arms folded, looking as well kept as if he had just woken up, showered and dressed for the day.

"Don't sneak up on me like that!" I yelled at him, but he just smiled wryly and waited for me to answer the question.

I wasn't about to tell him the truth, so I shrugged and said stupidly, "I thought this was the bathroom," then I quickly tried to get past him out the door.

Randy moved aside and let me by, but as I was walking away, he asked, "Did you have a wet dream?"

I stopped and slowly turned to face him, trying desperately not to let my emotions express themselves in eight shades of red. Randy turned his head to one side and tried to make me feel less humiliated by saying, "My senses are very sharp, sometimes annoyingly so."

With a short laugh, I replied, "Guess I should've thought of that."

There was an awkward pause between us, then I confessed, "Yeah, I uh...I had another dream. Wasn't really a good dream, despite the result after waking up."

Randy slowly made his way over to me, and I felt a tightening in my chest. I hadn't quite come to terms with what he had revealed to me last evening, but I wasn't sure if my uncertainty was because I knew he was a vampire, or because he had confessed that he was attracted to me.

He stopped within a couple of feet of me and asked quietly, "Do these dreams upset you?"

I sighed heavily and answered him, "Yes, they do."

Randy bit his lower lip and looked away. I could tell that he was legitimately hurt by my answer. I added quickly, "It's not you that bothers me so much in the dreams, it's Punk and Batista and the other people in the darkness. They hurt me and I can feel it, even after I wake up."

Locking eyes with me, Randy asked with surprise, "You feel pain from the dreams?"

"Well, yeah, among other things," I trailed off, realizing I may have said too much.

Randy didn't ask me to elaborate, but he lowered his gaze, and I knew that he understood what I meant. He quickly regrouped and asked me, "The people in the darkness, you don't know who they are?"

"No," I shook my head.

Randy hesitated before he explained, "They're werewolves, John."

"What? You gotta be kidding me," I tried not to laugh.

"They are linked to us like a kind of supernatural beacon. Wolves follow vampires, and even though we don't necessarily like each other, the wolves are cunning and usually think of ways to make deals with the vampires, and in turn the vampires help them because they want what the wolves have. A lot of our communication is telepathic, which is why they sometimes show up in my dreams...and apparently, now yours," Randy explained.

I put my hands up in defeat and said, "Alright, I've had enough."

Randy became confused and I told him, "No more of these stories and these dreams. I don't understand them and frankly, I don't want to. This doesn't make sense to me and I want them to stop."

Slowly shaking his head, Randy replied solemnly, "John, I can't stop. It's not just..."

"No, alright? No, I don't want to hear excuses, and I don't want to hear that you desire me or that I'm linked to you or whatever. Just stop it, alright? I have to sleep, Randy. I have to sleep or I'm going to lose my mind, if I haven't already!"

He opened his mouth to argue with me again, but I turned away from him and stormed off, calling back over my shoulder before I turned the corner, "No more!"

* * *

"John? Hey! Hey!"

I felt someone flick the back of my left ear and I woke up with a start, the sudden blaze of the sun temporarily blinding me.

I rubbed my eyes, remembering that I was on the WWE tour bus to the next arena to meet up with the Smackdown roster, but I couldn't recall when I fell asleep. Fortunately, it wasn't long enough to start dreaming.

"Cena, what the hell, man? You're droolin' all over the seat," Teddy DiBiase flicked my ear again.

I looked up and realized he was turned around in his seat in front of me, trying to heckle me while I slept. Randy was a few seats ahead of us, and I noticed that he had turned around to watch us as I sat up straighter and asked angrily, "What do you want, DiBiase?"

He shot me a cocky half-smile and replied simply, "Nothin'."

I sighed with frustration and sat back, muttering acidly, "Asshole."

DiBiase waited until I had settled down and closed my eyes again, then he flicked my ear even harder and asked louder, "Hey, Cena!"

I lunged at him and tried to put him in a headlock. John Morrison and Daniel Bryan looked back at us with concerned expressions, while Randy started to get up to come over and break us apart.

"Hey, you two quit it back there, or I'm gonna throw you off the bus!" Gus shouted from the driver's seat.

I instantly let go of DiBiase and we both sat back down. We knew from experience that Gus the bus driver was not kidding when he said he would throw us off. Sometimes he even did it when the bus was still moving.

"Dumbass," Teddy elbowed his seat at me.

I lifted my leg and kicked the back of his seat hard enough to lurch him forward. DiBiase probably would've retaliated, but Gus was watching us through the rear-view mirror, so he let it go, but I knew that DiBiase would get me back later.

Frustrated that I was now wide awake, I pulled my duffel bag up from the floor and shuffled through it to find my iPod.

My hand grazed over something cold, and I grabbed it and pulled it out. It looked like some butt ugly antique necklace with a medallion on it in the shape of a half-crescent moon. The moon was three dimensional and had holes in it. The moon also had an odor coming from it I couldn't quite place that wasn't really bad, but it wasn't exactly pleasant, either.

I glanced over at Randy, but he was facing forward again. I glanced at DiBiase, but he was totally ignoring me. I wondered if DiBiase had slipped the necklace into my bag as a prank and that's why he woke me up.

"Stupid-ass pranks," I muttered to myself, shoving the necklace into my pocket so I could toss it in the trash as soon as we got to the arena.

* * *

I forgot all about the necklace when we reached the arena. I was too busy trying to avoid DiBiase and get my act together before the house show started. I was actually kind of thankful it wasn't a televised event, because when I looked in the mirror, I couldn't help noticing how exhausted my reflection was.

As soon as I was in the locker room, I took a quick shower and tried to focus all my energy on dressing out. I was starting to feel tired again and it was getting harder and harder to keep moving. I was basically running on willpower alone, and even that was burning out quickly.

I put my jeans back on and I felt something hard press against my hip. I reached into my pocket and felt the necklace, but I didn't dare pull it out in the middle of the locker room. I saw an opening between the roster members and slipped out of the locker room unnoticed, taking a deep breath when I was finally free in the hallway.

"Oi, Cena!" I heard Wade Barrett call from behind me.

"Damn," I muttered to myself before turning around to face him.

Barrett was flanked by Gabriel and Slater. During my run as a member of Nexus, I had gotten to know all three guys fairly well, and Gabriel had become a friend to me, but Barrett and I never did see eye-to-eye, and he seemed to enjoy throwing that fact in my face as much as possible.

Putting his arm around my shoulders, Barrett shook my entire body hello and asked, "You too busy to text us, then?"

He was referring to the messages on my cell I still hadn't replied to. So many people sent me texts on a daily basis, it was almost impossible to keep them all straight, and frankly, I didn't know what to say to the man who asked me to wash his back on live television.

"Sorry, man, it's just been so busy," I shrugged.

"Yeah, yeah, I get tha', I get tha'," Barrett answered.

Gabriel took the other side of me and asked, "How have things been since we left RAW, John?"

Slater came around and leaned in to hear my answer. I told them honestly, "It hasn't been the same, I'll tell you that much."

All three of them smiled at the compliment, then Wade frowned and sniffed loudly, asking, "Do you smell tha'?"

"What?" I asked, glancing around.

"I smelled it a moment ago. It is not floral but it is not a stench," Gabriel nodded.

"What? I don't smell anything," Slater sniffed loudly several times in confusion.

I had no idea what they were talking about. I pulled out of Wade's grasp and excused myself, saying, "I've got to get to the other side and sign some autographs or McMahon is gonna kick my ass. See ya!"

Wade opened his mouth to argue with me, but I waved at him and took off.

I wandered through the hallways until I found an unlit section that appeared to be empty. I walked all the way to the end where no one would see me, then I leaned against the wall and slid down to the floor, closing my eyes and sighing as the last bit of my energy left me.

I had less than an hour before the show started. If I slept here, I could easily hear the theme music play and it would wake me up in time. All I could do was trust that Randy had listened to me and wouldn't send me more dreams to wake me up before the theme music did.

"John?" Randy's voice echoed in my head.

Straining to open my eyes, I looked up and saw Randy standing over me. I sighed and asked groggily, "What do you want?"

"Do you have the necklace I left in your bag?" Randy asked quietly.

"Yeah, it's in my pocket," I didn't bother to pull it out to show him.

Randy squatted down to match his eyes with mine and said, "I need you to keep it with you. It'll protect you from the werewolves."

"Why do I need protection from werewolves?" I asked, barely coherent.

"Because they know that I want you, and they know that you're marked. They'll try to influence you so they can bargain with me and the other vampires to get you back," Randy explained.

"Other vampires? You mean Punk and Batista?" I asked.

"Yes...and there are others," Randy trailed off.

I closed my eyes and pleaded, "Let me sleep, Randy. I'm so tired."

"Alright. I'll keep watch so that no one tries to wake you," Randy said softly.

I heard him stand up, then I asked quietly, "Am I safe?"

"From what?" Randy countered.

"...from the dreams," I whispered.

I felt Randy's fingertips brush the side of my face, then he told me humbly, "I wish I could stop them for you, John, but I can't. Very little is known about how the dreams of vampires affect humans, but I don't think you should be in this much pain. I will find out what I can do to ease that pain, but until then, all I can do is watch over you."

"I don't...understand..." I said.

"Sleep, John. Sleep," Randy whispered, and his voice led me down into a deep and dreamless slumber.


	3. Chapter 3

3:

"John? John, it's time to wake up." Randy gently shook my shoulder.

I slowly opened my eyes. I could hear the stage theme music booming in the distance. My body was like dead weight and I felt like I had only just fallen asleep.

"No, no, I'm so tired," I groaned.

"I know. I'm sorry, but we can't be late," Randy replied somberly.

Taking a deep breath to catch my next wind, I found myself struggling to get to my feet. Randy leaned into me and reached out to help me up, then he hesitated, waiting for me to ask for it first. I fell back against the wall and stated, "I never thought I'd say this, but I just can't go out there."

Randy leaned in even closer and whispered thickly, "What can I do, John?"

I stared deeply into his blue-green eyes. He inspired something spontaneous inside of me, and I moved in to match my lips with his.

The kiss was slow at first. I let go of him and pulled away to see his expression, but he followed me and locked his lips more strongly against mine, like he couldn't stand to break away.

His strength was a little too intense, so I turned my head and pulled away from him again. Randy's jaw clenched and he warned me with his gaze not to tease him again, then his expression softened and he leaned in to take hold of my lips once more.

It was better this time. He was still strong but it excited me, and my awareness of him seemed to expand as Randy lowered me to the floor and mounted himself on top.

He tasted like something familiar but I couldn't quite place it. A faint metallic taste, like...something I remembered in my childhood...like...like...licking a penny.

Yeah, a penny. I smiled a little and Randy took the opportunity to slip his tongue into my mouth to explore me further. The metallic taste came on even stronger, and my eyes snapped open as I suddenly realized what it was.

Blood. His mouth tasted like blood.

He retracted his tongue and pulled his lips away, looking down at me with concern as he warned, "Don't be afraid, John."

_I suddenly realized that I was dreaming, and I knew that my panic would trigger the dream to become a nightmare, but I couldn't help it. I pushed Randy off of me and sat up, kicking my feet against the floor to slide away from him._

"_John!" Randy reached for me, his eyes wide._

_I turned around just in time to see a giant brown wolf lunge at me. It's teeth were sharpened and bright white and its mouth was big enough to tear off my head and swallow it whole. _

I gasped and opened my eyes. I was still in the hallway of the arena. Randy was across from me in a squatted position. He looked at me with an expression like he knew exactly what I had just dreamed, and it made me feel both frustrated and embarrassed.

"Let's go," I said, struggling to stand up.

As soon as I was on my feet, I had a massive head rush. I leaned back against the wall and held my head with my hand, feeling a migraine coming on. Randy stood up and came over to me, asking, "You alright?"

"I'm fine," I started walking, and he easily fell in-line with me.

I was determined not to let him see me looking so vulnerable after the dream. I wondered if he had tasted me as vividly as I had tasted him, and if he had relished our kisses as much as I did before I realized what his taste was. I gave him a sideways glance and I noticed that he looked like he was ashamed. I wanted so badly to ask him why he looked like that, but I didn't dare.

* * *

My match with Wade Barrett was the last on the schedule, but I did come out a few times to inspire the crowd throughout the show. My migraine kept getting worse, but I ignored it along with my total lack of energy and I kept pushing myself for the fans, because they meant more to me than sleep.

I suddenly found myself in the ring with Wade. I couldn't remember coming down the ramp or getting into the ring itself. My energy level was completely tapped out, and I was actually surprised I was still standing.

"Come on, John," Barrett urged me to fight him.

"Oh, right," I mumbled, starting after him.

Barrett opened his mouth and his teeth were long and sharp and gleaming like the wolf in my dream. I bounced back away from him and blinked. I glanced at his teeth again, and they were normal. Barrett came after me quickly and grabbed me, pulling me into a headlock.

He leaned into me so the crowd wouldn't notice and whispered, "Wha' are you doin', Cena?"

"Sorry," I whispered back, then I broke out of his headlock and tried a counter-move.

Barrett easily got out of my counter-move and countered with a few moves of his own. He was getting the best of me faster than I could anticipate, and the crowd booed angrily, which only made me feel worse.

"Come on, John, get with it," I said aloud to myself, and Barrett narrowed his eyes at me.

He came at me and elbowed me in the face. I hit the mat and rolled out of the ring onto the floor, collapsing on the ground as the last of my second wind left me.

I literally couldn't get back up. The crowd continued booing as the referee started the count. Barrett taunted me from inside the ring, but I had nothing left to give.

An unfamiliar theme song began to play, and I was soon flanked by the members of The Corre.

The bell rang that the match was over by disqualification as The Corre started kicking me. I managed to gain enough strength to get up and try to move out of the way, and Gabriel hesitated, realizing that something was wrong, but Ezekiel Jackson stepped in to take advantage, thinking that my exhaustion was a gimmick for the audience.

I heard Randy's theme music start to play. I saw him come around me and launch himself into Jackson. Morrison, Mark Henry and Big Show rushed in just after Randy, taking on each of the remaining members of the Corre.

I struggled to get up, not wanting to let the crowd down. It took everything I had to pull myself together for a third wind, then I rolled back into the ring and went after Barrett, who was fighting with Big Show. Barrett saw me and took off out of the ring and back up the ramp. My theme music played as the rest of The Corre were chased away, and Big Show raised my hand in triumph as the crowd cheered.

As soon as we were backstage again, Randy followed me back to the locker room and stayed close to me while I dressed out of my wrestling gear, carefully put the necklace into the pocket of my fresh pair of jeans and grabbed my bag. When I was ready to leave, Randy motioned for me to follow him, and I was about to, when Kane stepped between us and asked, "Hey, Randy, I need to talk to you."

"Can't it wait?" Randy asked.

"No," Kane answered shortly.

Randy glanced back at me, but I nodded that it was fine, so he walked off to the other side of the room to talk with Kane.

I left the locker room and started walking down the hallway, rubbing my forehead as my migraine continued to pound inside my skull. I managed to make it out to the parking lot at the back of the arena before I leaned against the wall and shut my eyes, feeling overwhelmed with the need to sleep.

"Oi, Cena!" Barrett's voice called out to me.

"Damn," I whispered, opening my eyes and looking up as Barrett came over to me.

"Warn me next time you don' wanna wrestle, eh?" Barrett joked sarcastically.

I laughed airily to appease him, then I replied, "Yeah, sorry, I've just got a migraine is all."

He nodded that he understood how I felt and said, "No worries, then. Get some pills an' some rest an' you'll be fine."

He turned his head to one side and added, "Ya still have tha' smell."

"What?" I asked, confused.

"Tha' smell from earlier. The one I can't register," he said.

I suddenly remembered the necklace in my pocket. I heard the exit door open and I turned to look just as Randy came out and walked over to meet me. I looked back at Wade and joked, "Some chick was dry humping me earlier and she was drenched in perfume. Maybe that's what you smell."

Barrett chuckled and waved his at me as he turned to leave, saying, "Wha'ever, Cena."

Once Wade was out of range, Randy turned to me and asked, "What did he want?"

"He was just wondering why I botched the match tonight," I explained.

Randy pointed to a black truck in the parking lot, and we made our way towards it as he asked, "What did you tell him?"

"I said I had a migraine, which I do, so it wasn't a complete lie," I answered.

"We'll stop somewhere and I'll get you something for your migraine. You want anything to eat?" Randy offered.

"No, I just want to sleep, that's all," I said.

We were almost to the truck when I glanced behind me and saw Gabriel coming towards us. I stopped and waited for him to come close. He smiled at me and asked, "Wade and I are headed to a very nice restaurant downtown. Would you like to come, John?"

I looked back at Randy and I noticed he was visibly tense. I returned my gaze to Gabriel and shook my head, telling him honestly, "I'm beat, man. I just want to get back to the hotel and pass out for a while."

"Alright," Gabriel nodded at me, then at Randy.

He turned on his heel to leave, but he only took three steps away before he turned back and said, "Wolfsbane."

"What?" I asked.

Gabriel pointed at my pocket where the necklace was and stated, "Your smell. It is wolfsbane. It is meant to ward off werewolves."

Randy moved so fast, he was just a blur as he picked Gabriel up and slammed him against another car. As soon as I realized what was happening, I rushed over and grabbed onto Randy's shoulders to pull him off of Gabriel, shouting angrily, "Randy, stop!"

Randy ignored me, staring acidly at Gabriel as he seethed, "You tell Barrett about the charm and I'll kill you where you stand."

"Stop!" I pulled harder on Randy's shoulders, but it was like trying to pull apart a block of marble.

Gabriel put his hands up in defeat and looked at me, saying, "It is alright, John."

I let go of Randy and stepped back. Randy let go of Gabriel and turned to face me, his expression turning somber when he realized how angry I was. I yelled at him, "Why did you do that? Gabriel is my friend!"

Randy pointed at Gabriel as he stated to me, "He is NOT your friend."

I was so furious with Randy, I turned to Gabriel and said, "You know what? I am feeling hungry. Let's go."

Gabriel nodded and smiled. Randy widened his eyes at me and shouted, "John!"

"I'll see you later," I told Randy, giving him a deliberate look before I walked past him to leave with Gabriel.

As soon as I left Randy, an uneasiness began to build inside of me, but I repressed it and walked with Gabriel back to Barrett's car. I slid into the back seat and Barrett turned back to face me with a wry smile as he said, "I think you'll like our meal choice."

I was sure that Barrett meant something more by his words, but I was too exhausted to read into it. Barrett pulled out of the parking lot and I glanced out the back window, wondering if Randy were still by his truck.

The truck was there, but I couldn't see Randy at all.


	4. Chapter 4

4:

I ate at a 5-star restaurant with Barrett and Gabriel, but I couldn't tell you what I ordered or how it tasted. My migraine was pounding so hard against my skull by the time we finished that I asked as soon as we got back to the car, "Could we go back to the hotel, guys? I'm gonna pass out any second."

"No way, Cena! We have plenty more to do," Gabriel beamed back at me.

"Please, I really just want to go back," I started, but Barrett interrupted me and argued, "No remarks, Cena! One club an' we're good to go back."

He pointed his finger to emphasize his words, and I nodded weakly, knowing that I was going to lose no matter what I said. I closed my eyes and listened to Barrett and Gabriel as they argued quietly about something. I could barely hear them and soon their words sounded like nothing but gibberish.

I began to regret not going back to the hotel with Randy when I had the chance.

Gabriel glanced back at me and made an odd expression. I suddenly felt unsettled as Gabriel turned back to Barrett and they continued arguing in hushed tones. I watched them both with concern, thinking something was up.

Their argument ended abruptly and Gabriel turned away to look out the window. I asked curiously, "What's going on, guys?"

Barrett laughed shortly and replied, "No need to shit the bed, Cena."

I was put off by Barrett's tone, so I asked more sharply, "What is going on?"

Gabriel turned around to face me again, but his eyes were yellow and bloodshot and his expression was twisted like an animal about to attack.

"_CENA!"_

"What? What?" I shot up and looked around.

Barrett and Gabriel both turned around to face me with confused expressions. I realized that the car was parked in front of the club and they already had their doors open to get out. I asked quickly, "Did one of you say my name?"

Shaking his head, Barrett told me, "No, Cena. 'ave you gone mental?"

"No, no, I thought I heard my name, that's all," I said, hurrying to get out of the car to avoid more questions.

I followed Barrett and Gabriel inside. We were given a VIP table in the corner that gave us full view of the dance floor and the other tables in the room. We were given the best drinks in the house, and I was struck with the idea that, if I got drunk enough, maybe I wouldn't dream tonight.

My migraine made it hard to focus, but I was vaguely aware that Barrett and Gabriel were not paying as much attention to me as they were to each other. Midway through my third drink, I began to get the distinct impression that they were doing something questionable under the table, but I was too out of it to react. Barrett suddenly stood up and told me, "We'll be back."

"What? Where the hell are you going? I thought you wanted me to go clubbing with you!" I argued.

Gabriel stood up more slowly and replied, "It will just be a few minutes, John. We will come back."

Shaking my head, I said, "I wanna leave."

"A few more minutes, then we will leave," Gabriel assured me.

I reluctantly nodded and Gabriel and Barrett took off, leaving me alone at the best table in the club with no one to share it with. I glanced around and saw a few ladies looking casually back at me, hoping that I would signal for them to come over, but I didn't want them.

I looked over at the dance floor. It was extremely dark at first, then a green strobe light like something out of a sci-fi film cascaded over the people before spotlighting between the rows and casting an eerie aura around the dancers. I blinked a few times and tried to focus on the dancers, but they were sent into darkness again, and it was a few seconds before the green strobe cascaded over them again, revealing a familiar face in the midst of the dancers that made me sit back with surprise.

"Randy?" I asked out loud.

The green strobe spotlighted the rows again, and an eerie aura surrounded the dancers once more. I focused more intently and I realized that Randy was standing in the crowd, but he was only in a pair of jeans and his upper body was drenched like he had been standing out in the rain. I stared at him cast in the green aura, and I involuntarily licked my lips as I wondered what his wet skin tasted like.

I looked down at the zipper of his jeans and for a moment, I wondered what certain other distinguishable parts of him tasted like.

I blinked a few times and my eyes darted around the room. I asked myself, "What the fuck? Where am I? What just happened?"

The dance floor. I remembered it and looked right at it, but there was no green strobe light, just a few dancers under a dark blue light that wasn't made of sci-fi special effects at all.

"Oh God, I'm so tired, I'm having waking dreams," I put my head in my hands and sighed deeply.

"Excuse me," a man's voice said.

I looked up and saw a dude that looked like he came out of an action film. He was taller than I was, built like Batista, but he was wearing a bright blue shirt that completely contrasted his rough appearance. He folded his arms and asked me suspiciously, "Are you John Cena?"

"No, but I get that a lot," I lied.

He snorted and shook his spiked blond head, retorting loudly, "Naw, I think you're John Cena."

"Believe what you want, but my name's not John Cena. It's Billy," I said.

He shot me a cocky grin and asked, "Billy what?"

"Billy Idol," I got up to leave.

"Well, then, let me have your autograph, Mr. Idol!" the guy called to me as I walked away.

I found a back door and made my way outside, opting for some privacy away from the line of people trying to get into the club so I wouldn't get mauled in case someone else recognized me. I pulled out my cell phone and sent a text to both Barrett and Gabriel:

CALLED A TAXI. SEE U (A) HOTEL.

Once the message was sent, I kept my eyes on my phone as I rounded the corner, paying no attention to what or whom was in front of me.

"Hey, Cena," a familiar voice said.

I recognized it as the man from inside the club and looked up just in time for him to pepper spray me right in the eyes.

The spray burned worse than hits from a Kendo stick. I dropped my phone as I grabbed my face and fell backward onto the pavement, crying out with a mix of pain and frustration.

"How you like me now, Cena?" the guy shouted just before stomping me right in the stomach.

A full meal and three alcoholic drinks were in there. My abs contracted and I struggled to breath as my already mangled brain tried to figure out what was happening. I felt adrenaline rushing through me, killing off my migraine as well as most of the pain, but the pepper spray in my eyes made it almost impossible to see my attacker. I blinked a few times and focused on him just as he lifted his foot to stomp on my stomach again.

I braced for the impact of his foot, but something blurry came into my line of vision and I felt a rush of sudden air like the flapping of wings as the blurry thing latched onto the shoulders of my attacker and lifted him high into the air. I blinked a few more times, unsure of what I was seeing as my attacker disappeared completely, and all I could hear was the faint sound of distant screaming.

I laid back against the pavement and tried to slow my breathing. My stomach was all in knots and my eyes were almost blind, and although I was now wide awake from the adrenaline rush, I was sure I had to be dreaming somehow after what I just witnessed.

The fluttering sound came back and stopped a distance away, followed by the sound of footsteps. I swallowed hard and waited. A blurry but familiar face leaned over me and asked, "John?"

"Randy," I breathed in relief.

He got down on his knees and put his hands on my face, leaning in more closely to inspect my eyes. I told him quickly, "Some guy pepper sprayed me. It burns like hell and I can barely see."

"Don't worry," Randy said, then he promptly spit in my eyes.

"Randy, what the fuck?!" I shouted angrily, trying to wipe the spit away.

He grabbed me by the wrists and pinned my arms down, telling me sternly, "Don't touch it. Let it work."

"What are you-" I started, but then I realized what he meant.

My eyes stopped burning, and I could hear a sizzling sound as Randy's spit seemed to steam away the pepper spray in my eyes until both liquids were gone and my sight was restored to normal. I blinked a few times and stared back at Randy in stunned silence for a moment before I asked, "What the hell?"

"Witness the healing power of my spittle," Randy joked dryly with a half-smile.

I laughed airily to spare my stomach further pain, then I asked more seriously, "Would you be willing to give me a ride back to the hotel, oh Holy Spittle God?"

"Well, alright," Randy mocked disdain, but didn't move to let me up, keeping my wrists firmly held in his grip like he was enjoying restraining me.

"Randy?" I asked.

"Yeah," he answered thickly.

"Get the hell off of me or I might puke on you," I warned.

"Oh. Right, then," he said, standing up and helping me to my feet.

I held my stomach as I followed him back to his truck. He opened the door to let me inside, then I mentioned to him, "Dude, I'm grateful and all, but I still think you spitting in my eyes was really gross."

"I would have warned you, but then you would've flinched and closed your eyes," Randy replied pointedly.

We rode in silence for a while. I noticed that Randy could drive particularly fast without showing much focus for the things around him, like it was easy for him to anticipate what was coming next. I rode with him in the past and I always assumed he was just one of those natural navigators, but now I knew the reality behind his skills.

"Randy?" I asked quietly.

"Yeah," he replied like he already knew what I was going to ask him.

"Did you kill that guy who pepper sprayed me?" I asked, my voice barely above a whisper.

Randy's jaw clenched for a moment while he pondered his answer, then he explained morosely, "He was a very bad man, John. I saw into his mind, and I saw the things that he had done to other people, the things that he was thinking about doing to you..."

He trailed off and stared intently ahead. I paused to let his words sink in, then I asked him, "Can you see into my mind? Even when I'm dreaming?"

I already thought I knew the answer, but I wanted him to say it out loud. Randy turned to face me while still effortlessly driving and replied thickly, "Yes."

"Were you with me in the dream that I had at the arena? The one where we kissed?" I asked.

"Yes," Randy turned back to the road but lowered his gaze sheepishly.

"Did you know how I felt when I kissed you? Did you know what I was thinking when I reacted to the taste in your mouth?" I asked, dying to hear him say it.

"Yes," he said, unable to look me in the eyes.

"So when you warned me to stay calm, that was really you?" I asked.

He shook his head and stated shortly, "I shouldn't have interfered. That was wrong of me."

"I wasn't complaining. I'm glad that you did," I said.

We were silent for a moment, then I asked, "Do you always know what I'm thinking? What I'm feeling?"

"Not always. It works better when you want me to know," Randy answered.

Feeling satisfied, I didn't ask Randy anymore questions. Once we reached the hotel, I got out and asked him, "Could I stay with you?"

His stared at me with widened eyes. I added quickly, "I'm too tired and drunk to go through the check-in process."

It took Randy a moment to nod, then he led me to his hotel room, glancing at me from time to time like he was completely stunned that I was willing to stay the night with him. He let me into his room and I noticed there was only one twin sized bed. My adrenaline rush was wearing off and I was ready to pass out as I told him, "I'll just sleep on the floor."

"No fucking way. You take the bed," Randy stated boldly.

He didn't leave room to argue, so I pulled my shirt off and collapsed onto the bed, not even bothering to take off my shoes. I was already starting to doze when I felt Randy gently take hold of my ankles as he slowly pulled my shoes and socks off and positioned my legs so that I was resting more comfortably on the bed. He turned out the lights and turned the TV on mute, going around to the other side and taking the chair next to the bed so he could watch television while I slept.

"Would you lye down with me? Just until I fall asleep?" I opened my eyes and asked Randy quietly.

He locked eyes with me like he had wanted so badly for me to ask, but he hesitated a moment before he got up to climb into bed next to me.

I could feel an odd heat coming off of Randy's body through his clothes as he settled in next to me. I asked him softly, "Why are you so hot?"

"I work out," he joked.

"You know what I mean," I replied, closing my eyes again.

"It's just something that happens to me right after I feed," Randy said, and I could tell his words were strained, like he was waiting for me to object or tell him to get off the bed.

"How weird," I replied weakly, and I felt him snuggle in more closely to me.

I winced a little in pain and Randy asked, "What's wrong?"

"My stomach hurts where that guy kicked me," I groaned.

"Can I try something that will help?" Randy asked my permission.

"Just don't spit on me again," I said, making him chuckle.

He very carefully placed his hand on my lower back and traced the muscles there with his fingertips. It didn't seem like he was applying much pressure, but the pain in my stomach began to recede until it was completely gone.

"What did you do?" I muttered, almost asleep.

"Nothing special, just a little trick I picked up during our Asian tour," Randy replied.

Randy?" I whispered.

He rested his hand on my head and whispered back, "Sleep, John, just sleep."

"Don't let me have nightmares, okay?" I pleaded.

He pressed his lips to my ear and replied thickly, "I'll protect you. _Am sa te apere_."

I wasn't sure what the last part was, but I drifted off to sleep before I could ask.


	5. Chapter 5

5:

_I was running down a long corridor. There were doors lining both sides, but I didn't dare try to open one of them._

_I could hear the voices of Barrett, Gabriel, and several others laughing from the other side of the doors. No matter how fast I ran, they were able to catch up with me, taunting me with rapid laughter like they were jackals on the hunt. _

"_John Cena, where are you?" Barrett called from somewhere in the corridor._

_Looking back, I didn't see him, but I could feel in my gut that he was close._

"_What do you want, Barrett?" I asked, but the only response he gave was another shrill laugh._

_I looked at the door to my right. I was sure the laughing was coming from just behind it. I decided I didn't want to play games anymore, so I rushed the door and threw it open, bracing myself for Barrett to tackle me from the other side._

_But it wasn't Barrett standing there. It was Randy Orton._

_I could hear the jackal laughter coming from all sides down the corridor, but Randy took my face in his hands before I could turn to see the sources. Randy leaned in closely to me and whispered sternly, "John, wake up."_

I opened my eyes and sat up in bed, feeling the effects of last night's alcohol consumption in the form of a major hangover. I grabbed my head and groaned. I heard a chuckle come from the far corner, so I looked up to see Randy shuffling through one of his overnight bags while shaking his head. I asked him sarcastically, "Do you find something funny, Mr. Orton?"

He walked over to the bedside table and picked up a glass filled with green liquid. He handed it to me and said, "Of course not. Now drink this, I promise it'll make you feel better."

Wrinkling my nose in disgust, I took the glass and asked, "What the fuck is it?"

I sniffed it but it didn't smell like anything. Randy went back to his bag while he explained, "It's just an old remedy I picked up along the way. It's nothing gross, just a few herbs and veggies and stuff."

I shrugged and downed the stuff, finding it to be surprisingly tasty. Randy watched me with a wry grin as I swallowed each mouthful carefully, analyzing the texture and the almost spicy taste. When I finished, I licked my lips and said, "Huh. Not as bad as I thought."

Randy was still staring at me, so I looked at him and asked, "What?"

With a short chuckle, Randy replied, "Sometimes you look like a little kid when you're feeling good, that's all."

"Is that a compliment?" I asked, lifting an eyebrow.

"Hey, who doesn't like an adult male with boyish good looks?" Randy dryly pointed out.

I laughed and changed the subject, asking, "So, how long have I been asleep?"

"Fourteen hours," Randy answered.

"WHAT?!" I shouted with surprise.

Randy gave me a sideways glance and replied, "Don't worry about it. I talked to Vince. The others are already at the arena, and I can get us there in time."

I was slightly relieved that we weren't going to be late, but another question crossed my mind and I asked, "Were we the only ones who stayed behind?"

Randy frowned and replied shortly, "No, Barrett and Gabriel stayed, too."

"Why?" I asked curiously.

"They wanted to tell you that they were sorry for not taking you back to the hotel last night," Randy said.

A rush of panic filled my chest and made my heart pound as I asked quickly, "Do they know that I was attacked?"

Randy turned to face me, but his eyes were focused intently on my chest. He was completely aware of the change in my heartbeat and his eyes sparkled like the change stimulated his senses. He still responded calmly, saying, "No. As far as they know, you took a taxi. They just don't want you to be angry with them."

"Oh," I said, my eyes transfixed on Randy's intense gaze.

He suddenly looked up to meet my eyes and blinked when he saw my expression, then he looked away quickly, like he was ashamed that he had been staring. I asked him more quietly, "Does it bother you? My heartbeat, I mean?"

"Why do you always think everything about you bothers me?" Randy retorted angrily.

I put my hands up in defeat and turned away, spotting my overnight bag in a chair against the far wall. I realized Randy must've found it and brought it in, so I went over to it to get my things. Randy made a loud sigh and explained to me, "Your heartbeat doesn't bother me. It's just...very loud in my ears, like a constant drumming, and when it changes, it affects me more strongly than other things that change about you."

"Other things?" I looked back at him and asked.

"Let's just say that my senses are powerful enough to pick up the good, the bad, and the ugly about what your body does. Chemical changes, emotional changes, physical changes, mental changes," Randy relayed.

"So that means if I fart next door, you're gonna know about it?" I asked jokingly, pulling off my t-shirt.

I didn't hear Randy laugh as I brought my shirt over my head. I looked up as I let my shirt drop to the floor and I realized with a start that Randy was right in front of me. This time, he was focused on my stomach. I looked down and saw some minor but very visible bruising in the outline of a boot on my abs. The guy from last night had left his imprint when he kicked me. Randy reached across and gently touched my stomach, asking me thickly, "Does it hurt?"

"No, it just feels kind of like a pinch," I said, instinctively putting my hand over his.

His gaze met mine as I rubbed his hand between my fingers and asked, "What?"

Randy glanced down and I followed his motion, realizing that I was rather affectionately playing with his hand over my stomach. I looked back up at him and said, "Could I ask you something?"

"Hmm?" he nodded at me.

"I know that you have feelings for me, and that's what's been creating our connection lately, but these feelings that I have, are they mine, or are they just what I feel because of the connection?" I asked.

Randy lowered his gaze and pulled his hand away from me. I added quickly, "It doesn't mean that I'm not interested, I just...I need to know that this is mine, too."

Randy was silent for several seconds. He was unable to look at me when he finally responded softly, "I can't answer you because I don't know. All I know is that, when a connection is real, the vampire and the marked one have mutual feelings for each other."

With that, he turned on his heel and went for the door, telling me just before he left, "I'll grab us something to eat. You should get dressed, we need to head out soon."

* * *

I took a shower to calm my nerves, but it didn't work to calm my feelings of guilt. I hated myself for asking Randy such a mean question, but I just had to know the truth. Now that I did, I didn't feel any better.

I wrapped a towel around my waist and stared at my reflection in the mirror. My stomach looked bad enough that I was going to have to hide it before my match tonight. I made up the idea that I would bandage it and tell the guys I bruised my ribs trying to dance at a club. It didn't matter much since it was going to be a house show and I'd heal before the next RAW.

Opening the bathroom door, I walked out to get my clothes and found Barrett leaning against the wall to my left and Gabriel sitting on the edge of the bed to my right. They both instantly focused on my stomach, but I pretended it was no big deal, passing them to get to my overnight bag as I asked with some frustration in my voice, "What do you two want?"

I wanted them to think I was kind of upset about last night. Gabriel sat up straighter and replied, "We came to apologize for ignoring you, John."

Turning back to face them both, I replied reluctantly, "Well, I accept your apology. It wasn't like I haven't taken a taxi before."

Barrett folded his arms and mentioned boldly, "It's queer you ended up in Randy Or'on's room when you go' back, innit?"

Gabriel stood up and yelled angrily at Barrett, "We are not here to argue his destination!"

Much to my surprise, Barrett instantly backed off and even seemed to cower a little in response to Gabriel. It reminded me of something I read about that same response in the animal kingdom, but I couldn't remember exactly what the significance was.

Gabriel turned back to face me and asked, "You do accept our apology, John?"

"Well, I accept yours, but not necessarily Wade's," I pointed at Barrett and gave him a hard look.

Gabriel ignored my disdain and asked, "Then we are still friends?"

I looked at him with confusion and said, "Yeah, of course. Why wouldn't we be?"

"I just do not want you to think I would ignore you again," Gabriel replied quietly.

His words sounded eerily intimate. I nodded slowly and Barrett went on the defensive again, arguing with me, "Wha's tha' look for, Cena? Gabriel is showing you respect, an' you show him the nod of a wanker?"

I opened my mouth to counter, but Wade turned his attention to the door just a moment before it suddenly burst open from being kicked in, and Randy stormed through it. Gabriel, Barrett and Randy went on the offensive, all three sizing each other up as Randy's nails went sharp and his fangs became visible. He hunched forward in attack mode and his eyes shifted from Barrett to Gabriel as he stated to them, "This is _my_ territory."

"We only came to apologize to John. Now, we are leaving," Gabriel explained, motioning for Barrett to go.

"Is that true, John?" Randy asked me, never taking his eyes off of Barrett and Gabriel.

"Ye...yes," I stammered, caught off-guard by Randy's ferocity.

Randy focused on Wade and said, "I believe I heard you call John a wanker. That doesn't sound like you were apologizing to him."

Barrett swallowed hard and Randy took a step closer to him. I quickly tried to diffuse the situation, saying, "It's no big deal, Randy, he was just messing with me."

"Apologize," Randy stated to Barrett.

Barrett paused before asking defiantly, "An' wha' if I don't?"

My heart started pounding again as I waited for the moment to break. Randy cocked his head to one side, and I knew that he was listening to the change and it was distracting him. I tried to will my body to calm down, but it was no use. I could see that Barrett had picked up on Randy's distraction as well, but he was seeing it as an opportunity to strike.

Gabriel suddenly said, "Wade, apologize to John."

Barrett turned to Gabriel with a confused expression, asking, "Wha'?"

"Apologize as Randy has instructed you," Gabriel answered.

Barrett stared at him for a few seconds before looking at me. I waited as Barrett sighed with frustration, then he said reluctantly, "I'm sorry, Cena."

"Um...thanks," I replied, still on edge.

Gabriel nodded good-bye to me and quickly started for the door, and Barrett rushed after him just as fast. Once they were gone, Randy eased up and looked at me, asking deliberately, "Did they do anything to you?"

"No, they just came to apologize," I said.

Randy came closer to me and asked rapidly, "Did they ask you anything about last night? Did they notice your stomach? Did they say anything to you about being in my room?"

"Randy, what's going on?" I became confused.

He realized his intensity and backed off, explaining more calmly, "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to upset you. I just don't trust them at all, and I don't want them knowing details about anything to do with you."

"Could I ask you a question?" I said.

Randy looked at me curiously and I asked, "Is there something about Gabriel I should know? He seems to have a handle on Barrett like nobody's business."

Nodding slowly, Randy replied, "Gabriel is the Alpha of the wolves in the RAW and Smackdown roster."

I was legitimately surprised as I said, "Oh. Well, I guess I wouldn't have picked him to be the one with all the power."

"Nobody would. That's how it's so easy for him to move through the system, but he's the strongest and the fastest of their group, and that's why I'm so worried about his extensive interest in being your best friend," Randy said.

"I thought you said that the werewolves just wanted to use me because of my connection to vampires," I mentioned.

"Yes, that's what they're usually after, but Gabriel's interest in you seems to go beyond that," Randy explained.

I remembered the way Gabriel spoke to me minutes earlier and I relayed to Randy, "Gabriel was really weird after he apologized to me. He acted like I wouldn't want to be friends with him because of last night. When I said we were cool, he spoke to me like...like..."

I struggled to come up with a good word to describe it, settling with, "Like he was flirting with me."

Randy's eyes went wide and he asked, "What?"

"I'm sorry, that's the only word I can think of. I mean, I don't know if he's gay or not, and I have no problem with it, but I don't really think of him that way..." I rambled.

Randy came within inches of me and I locked eyes with him as he asked deliberately, "John, are you absolutely sure that Gabriel was showing an attraction to you?"

I became uneasy, trying to replay the moment in my head just to be certain. I said as I thought about it, "I don't know, I mean, that's what it sounded like, and I got a weird vibe from it, and Wade like, went all ape-shit right after that."

"Shit, why didn't I notice this before," Randy whispered, almost to himself.

"What? What are you thinking?" I asked.

Randy looked at me and stated, "This just got a lot more complicated."


	6. Chapter 6

6:

As soon as we got to the arena, I felt a lot of tension in the locker room, and that could only mean one person was near: Dave Batista.

Now that I knew he was a vampire, his attitude made a lot of sense. Batista wasn't necessarily a bad guy, he was just very...particular about his lifestyle, his opinions, and what he did or did not want to do. If he didn't like you, these particulars became more obvious. Dave and I used to butt heads constantly, but when we started fighting face-to-face, it seemed like our frustrations were coming out in the ring, so we had nothing to argue about backstage. Even when Batista left, he gave me a big hug and told me, "Keep on fighting, kid. I mean it."

So when I saw him in the hallway while I was waiting for the show to start, I waved at him and said, "Hey, welcome back, Dave!"

He looked at me like I had just run over his dog.

"Excuse me, Cena?" he asked coldly.

I stopped and turned to face him, saying with some confusion, "Uh...I just wanted to welcome you back to RAW."

Batista snorted laughter. I put my hands on my hips and retorted, "Did I say something funny?"

He leaned in closer to me and answered, "Yeah, you did. Since when do you give a flying fuck about anyone else besides yourself?"

I didn't know what to say. I scoffed at him and turned to leave. Batista called to me as I walked off, "We have a match tonight, and since you know about me now, I'm not planning on taking it easy!"

I reached my arm back and flipped him off. I wasn't about to respond to his idiocy.

Rounding the corner, I found myself stalled by CM Punk.

"John Cena, how have things been?" he asked, putting his arm around my shoulders like we were old friends.

"I can't talk, Punk, I've got some things to take care of," I lied to get away from him.

He knew I was lying and held fast to my shoulders, persuading me, "It'll only take a second."

"Alright, what's the deal?" I sighed.

"I was just wondering how it's been working out between you and Randal lately," Punk acted nonchalant.

He was almost as obvious as Barrett and Gabriel. I replied easily, "It's cool, everything's cool."

"So, I guess you know about us now, so all that symbolic stuff I told you about your dreams wasn't really the truth," Punk said it like it was a minor mistake.

"Yeah, but you can trust me not to tell anyone," I added.

Punk nodded and changed the subject, asking quickly, "So what's with you and Gabriel?"

Shrugging, I replied, "Uh, we're friends, if that's what you mean."

"Right," Punk stated, locking eyes with me.

"I really need to get going," I said.

Punk blinked and made a confused expression, like he was expecting something more from me. The expression faded in an instant and he let go of my shoulders, telling me as I moved on, "If you have any trouble, just let me know, alright?"

I had no clue why he thought I would want to come to him for help. I kept walking until I found a hallway adjacent to the rest. Something told me it was safe to go down it, and as I did, I came past a doorway and I knew Randy was on the other side. I opened it slowly and peeked inside, finding Randy asleep on a reclining hospital bed in what appeared to be an old storage room. I was already fully aware that Randy took naps before each show, and I didn't want to disturb him, but I came in anyway and closed the door, searching for a chair that I could sit in and stay quiet.

"Are you following me?" Randy said without opening his eyes.

I grabbed a nearby chair and moved it to the hospital bed, straddling it backwards so I could rest my chin on its high back as I replied jokingly, "It just seems like, when I'm not with you, I'm surrounded by stupid."

Randy chuckled and opened his eyes, asking me dryly, "Do you want me to beat them up and take their lunch money?"

"No, I don't wanna risk swirlies and wedgies in the locker room after practice," I shrugged, making Randy laugh again.

"So, did you hear I have a match with Batista tonight?" I asked, taking Randy's right hand in both of mine.

I played absently with his fingers while he replied, "Yeah, I heard about that. He's all bent out of shape that you know about us so he probably won't be as easy on you as he has been in the past."

"Easy on me? The guy is like a friggin' tank!" I shouted, promoting another chuckle from Randy.

"Can I ask you a serious question?" I said after Randy had settled down again.

He watched me twine his fingers with mine as he replied quietly, "Sure."

"When and why did you decide to become a vampire?" I asked.

Randy let out a groan and said, "I was hoping you would never ask that."

"Why? Are you actually like, 80-years-old? Did I get dream kissed by an old man? Wait, I know, you did it as an alternative to medication because you have erectile dysfunction!" I made a mock shocked expression.

Randy laughed even harder this time, then he became more serious and responded, "I became a vampire just a few years ago, but I did it for the wrong reasons."

"Tell me why," I leaned in to listen intently.

Randy used his free hand to run his fingers through my buzz cut as he answered thickly, "You know what this business does to your body. An injury could mean weeks, months or years out of action. It could even mean the end of your career. A few years ago, I was worried about my future, so I asked Batista to change me."

"_Dave_ is your vamp-daddy?!" I gasped.

Shrugging, Randy replied passively, "He was the only one I knew at the time. I walked in on him feeding when we were still with Evolution and he told me the truth."

Randy went on, saying, "Anyway, I didn't realize the consequences of my actions. I don't age as fast as everyone else, so eventually, I'll have to leave the business just to keep away suspicion, and then I've lost what I changed for in the first place. Not to mention, all my family members and friends and even you won't be around for eternity, and that is probably the worst consequence of all."

He looked at me with an expression like the thought of living on without me was truly agonizing. I didn't want to think about death and eternity and Randy leaving the business, so I asked something else, "I read that vampires have a kind of hierarchy: group leaders, district managers who overlook the groups leaders, and judges who overlook everyone. Who is the leader of the group of WWE vampires?"

"Punk," Randy revealed.

"What? Ew..." I blurted.

"Ew?" Randy lifted his brow at me.

"He's just so...not as cool as a vampire leader should be," I said.

Randy chuckled and replied with a shake of his head, "You watch too many movies."

"Well, does that mean he's leader over you, then?" I asked, feeling kind of put off.

"Politically, yes, but as far as anything else goes, he can kiss my ass," Randy replied, always the rebel.

I laughed and Randy added, "Status symbols aren't as important to vampires as they are to werewolves. If you put them side-by-side, Gabriel definitely has more power over his pack than Punk has over us, but in a fight, the vampires usually win."

"Well that's good," I squeezed Randy's hand.

He smiled slightly at me and I told him, "I want you to know that I'm sorry about what I said this morning. I didn't mean to make you think that I was blowing you off. This is all just very new and confusing to me, and I admit, I've never really felt like this about anyone before."

Randy looked away like my words affected him very deeply, then he replied thickly, "I've never felt like this about anyone else, either."

"Is it alright if I keep staying with you overnight? I don't really feel safe by myself anymore," I said.

Randy quickly nodded, but asked with concern, "Why don't you feel safe?"

"I don't know, it's not important. Could I ask you one more question?" I suggested.

"Why not," Randy said.

"Do you mind if I kiss you right now?" I asked.

Randy was up on his elbows and leaning into me before I realized he had moved. He answered quickly, "Absolutely."

"Nobody's listening to us or reading our thoughts or anything, right?" I asked as I leaned toward him.

"Hell no, and even if they are, I'll tell them to shut their fucking minds off," Randy answered, eagerly waiting for me.

I came within an inch of his lips, then I asked, "Should I be careful? Are you gonna get over excited and crush me or something?"

"Just come here," Randy grabbed me by the back of the neck and forced my lips into his.

He tasted like salt and pennies, very similar to my dream, but it was much more enticing this time. He parted his lips to let me deeper inside, and I noticed almost immediately that his mouth was very dry compared to mine. I made a mental note to ask him about it later, then I stood up and braced my foot on the chair so I could lean into Randy more easily.

His kisses became more intense, and I couldn't help feeling dizzy and excited by it at the same time. He wasn't hurting me, but with each increase of his strength, I wondered if he really could incidentally cause damage from being aroused. I started to pull away, but just like in the dream, Randy held fast to my lips and wouldn't let me go.

I groaned lightly and found Randy's hand, squeezing it that I needed him to give me a break. He immediately let up and I stumbled back, taking a huge gasp of air.

"I'm sorry, I didn't mean to do that," Randy realized he was slowly suffocating me with his need to prolong our make-out session.

"It's okay. Don't you...breathe?" I asked while trying to catch my own.

"My body doesn't need oxygen to survive anymore, but I can imitate breathing and sighing and I can still fill my lungs with air. It's the most noticeable thing to people when you don't look like you're breathing," he explained, hopping off of the bed to check on me.

Putting up my hand to stop him, I replied, "I'm fine, really. That was just really awesome."

Randy grinned broadly, and I was almost disappointed that his fangs weren't out at that moment.

The sound of the show's opening theme started playing, and Randy mentioned, "We should go."

"Yeah. Could we do more of that tonight?" I asked hopefully.

Randy looked at me with surprise, then he smiled and said dryly, "Next time, I'll try not to suffocate you."

"Oh, a little bit's not so bad," I joked in return, and Randy made a wry expression.

* * *

Randy was right about Batista. He wasn't easy on me by any means, but he managed not to break me in half in front of the live audience, much to my surprise. I was practically limping back to the locker room, but thankfully my beat down soon wore off, and all I could think about was meeting up with Randy.

I was helping some of the clean up crew and I didn't get back to the hotel until late. I knocked on Randy's door, and he opened it right away, stepping aside so I could walk in. I looked around and noticed almost a dozen carts of fully prepared meals taking up every bit of free space, and I asked awkwardly, "Uh...were you expecting more people?"

Randy closed the door and tried to maneuver his way around the carts, telling me, "I already ate and I didn't know what you wanted, so I ordered...everything on the menu."

"Wow, you really know the way to my heart," I feigned wiping away a tear.

Randy laughed and jumped onto the bed. He idly watched a re-run on TV while I sorted through the carts and found several plates of stuff I wanted to freely consume. I sat by the bed and inhaled my food, a habit I had always had since I was a little kid, and soon I found Randy watching me while I ate.

"If I choke, you know CPR, right?" I joked after a major swallow.

"I'm a bit rusty, but yeah, I'll try and save you," Randy replied sarcastically.

As soon as I finished my food, I crawled into bed with him and put my head on his chest. His body felt hot again, and it was strangely soothing to me. We watched TV in silence for a few minutes, then Randy gently kissed from the top of my head down to each of my eyelids before he lifted my chin and matched our lips together.

It didn't take long for me to notice that his mouth was not so dry anymore. He also tasted even more like pennies and his mouth felt as hot as his skin. It was like making out with the steam in a sauna, if that's even possible.

Randy rolled me over and slowly removed my shirt. I let him open my jeans, but he didn't pull them down. Instead, he teased me by running his fingers along the lowest part of my abs, lingering in the space just before my groin.

I groaned as I felt my dick swell from the stimulation of Randy's game. It suddenly became clear to me that there was no way that these feelings could not be mine just as much as they were his. I knew at that moment that I really wanted Randy, and the only way to really let him know that was to make a request.

Parting lips to breathe, I locked eyes with Randy and asked softly, "Will you bite me?"

He smiled like he was overjoyed that I asked, then his smile faded and he said, "Are you sure you want it? It can have different effects depending on the person."

"I want it, I do, but you have to bite me where no one will see it," I said, acknowledging the chaos that would ensue if I had a snakebite looking mark on my body during Monday Night RAW for the millions of viewers to see.

"I know just the place," Randy curled his upper lip back so I could see his fangs drop down.

I held my breath and waited anxiously for Randy to show me where. He touched different areas of my arms and chest, then he would kiss me there lightly before moving on, teasing me to the point where I thought I couldn't take anymore.

He ran his fingertips along the edge of my jeans, stopping at my right hip. He slowly peeled the edge of my jeans down to expose my right side, then he smoothed his palm over my hip and stopped just below the place where the pelvic bone sticks out slightly.

"This is it," Randy bit his bottom lip like he was savoring the moment.

My heart started pounding as I watched him lean into my hip. He cocked his head toward me to listen to my heartbeat, then he asked curiously, "Is this upsetting you?"

"No, I'm just really excited," I said thickly.

He kept his eyes on my hip as he told me quietly, "If it hurts too much, just tell me to let go."

Randy leaned in even closer to my hip, but hesitated before touching it. He parted his lips and the veins on his face turned black, but his expression stayed calm and focused. He ran over the skin he planned to bite with his thumb, then he pressed his lips to it, and his lower jaw slacked while his upper jaw took hold like a snake and I felt the fangs sink in.

There was a shot of extreme, overwhelming pain. My body started to tense, but the pain lasted only a few seconds before a rush of numbness took over and my muscles completely relaxed. Randy drew back his fangs and began tenderly sucking on the wound, filling his mouth with teaspoonfuls of my blood at a time before swallowing. I could feel the tip of his tongue pressing against each of the punctures, possibly to keep them from trying to close.

I could feel the blood leaving my body. It was like that rush you get in your mouth when you drink liquid through a sports bottle with only a small hole at the top, only the rush was going out instead of coming in. The numbness left me and I felt adrenaline kicking in. I realized my body was going into survival mode from the sensation of losing blood, even though I was nowhere near death.

Something else was building up inside of me. It was an indescribable feeling, and it kept climbing its way through my legs, then up my torso, then through my arms, and finally up to my head. At first, I thought it was some kind of second adrenaline rush, but when it reached my brain, I felt the most amazing euphoria that I had ever deemed possible.

"Randy," I breathed out loud.

He instantly let go of my hip and asked me seriously, "What's wrong?"

"No, it's...it's not wrong, it...it feels good," I struggled to remember how to speak.

Randy came back up to me and stared deeply into my eyes to analyze something there. I smiled broadly at him and said, "Don't stop. You're the best I've ever felt."

He leaned into me and whispered softly, "I need to make you cum or you're going to start feeling lots of pain."

"Okay...why?" I was confused.

"It's all in your nerves. If I can release them, you won't reach toxic levels," he replied, then he reached down and took hold of my dick.

He started rubbing my shaft in fast, rhythmic motions. My nerves responded with massive sensitivity, and I cried out from the raw, bordering on painful pleasure that I felt.

Randy kept moving faster and faster as the tension kept building. His blue-green irises stared intensely into my blue ones, like he was getting almost as much joy out of this as I was. I clung to his t-shirt and chanted his name as my body felt like it was being pushed to the brink of total combustion.

I reached a sudden point of opacity, where there was no feeling or sensation at all, and then a sudden rush of extreme release. I came twice within seconds of each other, spilling out into the palm of Randy's hand. I collapsed against the bed and the euphoria completely left me, along with the sensitivity in my nerves, but I still felt pretty damn good.

Randy looked at me and asked, "You alright?"

"Yeah, that was fun," I beamed.

Randy focused on his hand and I added, "I'm sorry about that."

"It's no big deal," Randy replied.

He got up and went to the bathroom to wash his hand off, then he came back to me, but his expression was morose. I asked him, "What's wrong?"

"Nothing, I just wish I could have licked my hand to know what that part of you tasted like," he said thickly.

"Why couldn't you?" I asked curiously.

He looked very deliberately at me, and with a short smile, he revealed, "If a vampire tastes the seed of a living man, it will poison him for a slow death."

"You've got to be fucking kidding me," I stared at him wide eyed.


	7. Chapter 7

7:

_I was lying naked and face down on a giant bed while Randy ran his hands along my skin, sending electrical pulses through his fingertips to stimulate my nerves. It was moderately painful, but that made everything all the more pleasurable for me._

_I moaned softly in rhythm with the pulses, my body writhing with intensity. My nerves were becoming raw from the sensation, but I didn't want Randy to stop, and with the pain just made it all the more erotically charged._

_Randy cupped my ass with his palms and squeezed, releasing a strong pulse that made me call out to him. He chuckled and came up to greet me, pressing his naked body against mine so that his large groin was nestled between the cheeks of my backside as he put his lips to my ear and asked me thickly, "Do you like the pain, John?"_

"_Only when it comes from you," I replied softly._

_He ran his clawed fingernails down my right side to tingle my skin. I smiled at the feeling and he asked me playfully, "Are you a masochist, John Cena?"_

_I suddenly felt uneasy, and Randy became concerned, lifting himself off of me so he could roll over on his side and look me in the eyes. I lowered my gaze and admitted softly, "Yes, I am."_

_Randy blinked with surprise and turned his head to one side like he hadn't anticipated a serious answer. I quickly added, "But don't tell anyone, Randy, please! If something like that got out, my life would be hell-"_

_He interrupted me by placing his hand over my cheek as he told me deliberately, "I would NEVER tell a soul as long as I exist. It's just between us."_

"_Thank you, Randy, thank you," I said._

_He withdrew his hand and I felt something wet on my cheek. I reached up to touch it and looked down to see liquid tears. I became confused as the tears dripped off of my fingers and onto the red sheets of the bed, dampening the sheets and making the color turn dark like blood. _

I sat up and took a gasp of air. I hadn't realized I was dreaming until I realized I was awake. I glanced around and saw the features of the hotel room to indicate I was indeed awake, but I could feel the wetness on my cheek again, so I wiped my face and found tears in my hands just like in the dream.

Randy sat up next to me and asked, "Are you alright? You woke up really fast."

"I didn't...know we were dreaming...why am I crying?" I was totally confused.

Randy easily explained, "You _were _crying shortly after you fell asleep. I went into your dream but it took me a while to find you."

"What happened that would make me want to cry?" I asked curiously, trying to remember any details of last night's dreams.

Randy looked away from me and replied quietly, "I found you at a funeral. I had to ask the other dream people before I figured out it was your father's funeral."

I nodded knowingly. I had always been very close with my father, but being a professional wrestler meant I was on the road most of the time and I rarely got to see him. I often worried that I would get a call while on the road from one of my brothers or Mom saying that Dad was gone.

"I dream about him like that sometimes. It scares the hell out of me, thinking of him like that, but the dreams always give me a kind of peace despite the theme," I explained.

Randy looked at me more seriously and said, "I took you away with me because I didn't want to see you hurting. I shouldn't have done that, it was selfish of me and I'm sorry."

"Don't be sorry. Being with you makes me happy," I smiled.

Randy made a mischievous grin and replied smartly, "I can see that."

He nodded at my groin and I looked down to see my full erection trying to burst out through my boxers. I laughed and asked Randy in a mock-serious tone, "Wanna take a cold shower with me?"

He was already in the bathroom before I had time to turn around and look.

* * *

We mostly made out in the shower. The bite mark Randy left on my hip was slightly bruised, but I let him drink from it again anyway. I didn't get all psyched out like the night before, probably because Randy didn't have to use his fangs this time, but watching his eyes roll into the back of his head while he mixed my blood around in his mouth and swallowed it down like a fine wine was just as hot.

When Randy finished, I asked him curiously, "Does biting me change me into a vampire?"

"No, there's a lot more to it than that," he said, bounding to his feet with super quick speed.

"Oh. So I'm just like a giant baby bottle and my hip is the nipple you suck from, huh?" I joked, shaking my hip at him playfully.

He grabbed me around the waist and we wrestled our way out of the shower. Once we were dressed and leaving for the bus, Randy was still completely wired like a kid high on Mountain Dew and Pop Rocks. He bounded down the hallway, and bounced on the balls of his feet the entire elevator ride down to the first floor, then he nearly rushed a couple of seniors on his way out the door.

"What is the matter with you?" I asked after checking on the seniors to make sure they weren't going to die from the shock of almost being mowed down by a zealous wrestler.

"I'm sorry, but your blood just makes me so..._HIGH_..." Randy closed his eyes and absorbed the sun's rays like he was on vacation.

"Yeah, well, if you're gonna act all freaky-dinky, then I'm restricting blood time to after-hours-and-in-private," I stated.

Randy opened his eyes and glared at me. I kept walking, so he frowned and deliberately acted all mopey the rest of the way to the bus. I turned back to argue with him when I saw Gabriel coming up behind Randy and I immediately tensed. Randy went serious in less than a second and shifted himself to block me from Gabriel as he took on a defensive stance. The other wrestlers and Divas were already filing onto the bus or talking amongst themselves a distance away and none were aware of the situation unfolding.

Gabriel came near and kept his eyes only on me, saying deliberately, "I would like to speak with you, John."

"We've got to go, Gabriel. Aren't you supposed to be with the Smackdown roster?" I tried to blow him off.

"I will make it to the arena in time. Please, John. I only need a moment of your time," Gabriel said more urgently.

I made a long sigh and replied, "Alright, but hurry."

Randy looked at me with widened eyes like he wanted to argue my approval, but I warned him with my eyes not to interfere, and he stayed where he was. I could feel Randy's eyes watching me as I walked off with Gabriel. Even as we rounded the corner of the hotel to stay out of sight of the others, I could still feel Randy's gaze on me.

I stopped and Gabriel turned to face me, but his eyes drifted down to the right pocket of my jeans, and I knew he was picking up on the fresh bite mark just behind the pocket. His nose wrinkled in disgust as he snarled, "He bit you."

"I wanted him to. Now, what did you want to ask?" I tried to put us back on-subject.

Gabriel's locked eyes with me, temporarily stunned. He obviously didn't consider that some people desired being bitten by a vampire. He struggled to regroup as he asked me like he already knew the answer, "The necklace...you still have it?"

"It's in my pocket, yeah," I answered.

"Give it to me," Gabriel put out his hand.

I scoffed at him and stated, "Hell no."

Again, he was stunned. He stared at me and asked, "Why would you use it when you know that it is against the werewolves?"

"Because I don't trust the werewolves after Barrett made it clear he really wants to jump me in a dark alley," I replied angrily.

Gabriel shook his head and stated, "Barrett would never hurt you. I would kill him if he did, he knows that."

This time, it was my turn to be stunned. I quickly tried to cover my surprise so Gabriel didn't notice as I said, "I'm not giving you the necklace because it's not mine to give. It was a gift. Besides, Randy tells me that your pack only wants me to use as leverage against the vampires, and I'm not about to let that happen."

Again, Gabriel shook his head and replied, "This is not true. I would not do that to you, John."

"You know what? I don't believe you," I started to walk away.

"John, I need to tell you something," Gabriel started.

"Tell me when I give a shit," I remarked sarcastically, continuing to leave.

Gabriel suddenly shouted at me, "I have strong feelings for you, John Cena!"

I stopped and slowly turned back to face him. He looked at me with desperate eyes and explained, "I honestly have an attraction to you. It is not part of any unjust motive. You know that I would not lie to you about this."

He had a point. Gabriel was always very serious when it came to relationships and emotions. I sighed heavily and said, "I don't know what to say."

Gabriel stepped closer to me and replied, "Let me show you that I am true in my words. Come out with me tonight. I will take you to a private place. We will dine like kings. You can ask me anything and I will share it with you. Please, John, let me show you my sincerity."

He was as legitimate as he ever could be, but it just wasn't right for me.

"I'm sorry, Justin, I really am, but I just don't think of you that way," I told him honestly.

His entire expression fell. He appeared to be in complete agony, and I couldn't stomach it. I turned to leave again, but Gabriel continued, arguing desperately with me, "Johnathon, please! You do not understand! I have chosen _you _to be my life companion! This means that I will be unable to choose another until the event of your death!"

His words infuriated me. I unleashed on him, yelling loudly, "Don't do that! Don't make me feel like I'm obligated to serve your supernatural rules and rituals like some puppet! I don't care if I'm marked or I'm some human destiny or whatever the fuck else, I'm tired of werewolves and vampires telling me that I have to do all of these things to make their lives better without even asking once how _I_ feel about it or what _I _want to do!"

"That is not what I meant..." Gabriel started, but I didn't want to hear another word.

"Don't talk to me anymore, alright? We're not friends, as far as I'm concerned. Go back to Smackdown and leave me the fuck alone," I turned on my heel and walked away.

As soon as I came around the corner, I almost ran right into Randy. He moved aside to let me pass, and I asked him angrily, "You heard it all, right?"

"I only wanted to make sure you were safe," Randy informed me.

I tried to walk past him, but he easily kept in line with me. I stopped and told him, "Look, I want to be alone. I'm going to take my own car to the next arena. Please, if you care about me, you won't follow me."

"John," Randy argued, but I walked away from him as well.

* * *

I didn't head in the direction of the next arena. Instead, I drove the state back roads and tried to think things through. There was so much shit going on, and Gabriel's revelation only made it ten times worse. I knew my rejection of him was going to have consequences, but I had no clue what to expect, let alone how to handle it.

Nightfall came faster than I realized. I was still on some abandoned dirt road surrounded by trees when 11PM hit on my car's digital clock. I had turned my cell phone off to enjoy the quiet, and I glanced at it in the passenger's seat, thinking to myself that now would be a good time to turn it back and give Vince a call to let him know I was still alive.

I pulled over to the side of the road and rested my forehead against the steering wheel. I had spent all these hours thinking and I still hadn't come up with jack shit as far as what to do about anything. I knew for sure that I wanted to be with Randy, but even that came with its share of problems. Would I need to become a vampire to be with him? If I chose not to, would he drop me like a bad habit as soon as I got old and he just stayed the same? Would it be safer to become a vampire so Gabriel didn't have me killed just to find another life companion? Would Barrett kill me anyway just for rejecting Gabriel?

"Fuck," I grumbled to myself, sitting up as I glanced passively at the rear-view mirror.

I saw something in the road behind me. I turned around to see it with my own eyes, but it was mostly concealed by darkness. It was large and gray and I assumed it was a dog. I faced forward again and turned the car back on, using caution to pull back out into the road in case the dog decided to chase my tires. I checked the rear-view mirror again, but the dog was gone, so I breathed a sigh of relief and started driving.

The car only made it a few yards before I heard a loud POP!

I felt the car lean to one side, and I knew I had blown a tire.

"Fuck me," I slammed my fist against the steering wheel.

I checked the rear-view mirror again. No dog. No headlights. No one for miles.

I opened the door a little and waited. If there was an animal around, I wanted to be cautious about it. I had heard stories of rabid creatures and I didn't want to be the idiot on the front page who got his ass bitten by one while cruising the back roads alone in the middle of the night like a bad horror film remake.

There were no sounds of animals at all. Nothing. The creepy back roads was just silent and pitch black. Not even a damn cricket chirping.

I got out and looked around. Still nothing, so I went around to check the tire. I noticed the car was at an angle on the road as I leaned down, but I still stumbled and the wolfsbane necklace fell out of my pocket and slid underneath the car.

"Fuck me twice," I groaned, lying down on my stomach to see where the necklace went.

I looked underneath the car just as a gray shadow rushed past on the other side. I quickly shot up to my feet and whirled around to see what it was. There was nothing on the road and no sign of anything in the creepy darkness, but I could feel in my gut that something was watching me.

I suddenly remembered my cell phone and I reached for the handle of the passenger door. The gray shadow came out of the darkness and tackled me so hard, we both collided with the car and the car itself slid a few feet from the impact. I hit the ground hard and the back of my head slammed against the pavement, temporarily dulling my senses.

The gray mass easily held me down with its front paws. I looked up at it and locked eyes with what appeared to be a gray wolf, but it was about four times the normal size and it was holding itself up on its hind legs like a man would. There was also something very unusual about the eyes: they were a familiar brown.

"Gabriel," I whispered.

He suddenly reached down with his left paw and cut open the edge of my jeans to expose the bite mark that Randy had left on me. Gabriel curled back his lips to reveal a set of gleaming teeth with exceptionally sharp canines in the forefront.

I knew what he was about to do, but it was too late to react.

Gabriel opened his snout and bit down down over Randy's mark to replace it with his own mark.

My head snapped back and I cried out in agonizing pain. I thought Randy's fangs piercing my skin hurt like hell, but this was much, much worse, and unlike when I was with Randy, this pain wasn't going away.


	8. Chapter 8

8:

_I was wandering through a fog, trying to remember how I had gotten here and what the hell had just happened. Was I dead? Was I dreaming? Oh my fucking God, this can't be real._

_The fog separated and I saw Randy off in the distance. I rushed over to him and he seemed surprised to see me, asking, "Where have you been, John?"_

"_I need your help, Randy. I was driving last night and I blew a tire and Gabriel, he came after me in wolf form and he bit me and...and..." _

_Randy's eyes were as wide as saucers. I tried to remember what happened after Gabriel bit me, but I didn't have the slightest clue. Randy put his hands over my face and asked me quickly, "Gabriel must be blocking me from finding you. You have to tell me where you are so that I can come and get you."_

_I thought as hard as I could, but nothing was coming to mind. I shook my head and replied, "I'm sorry, I don't remember anything, I don't know..."_

_I could hear Gabriel whispering for me in the distance. My bitten leg started to ache and I looked desperately into Randy's eyes, telling him, "I think Gabriel is going to try and fuck me and I don't know what else he's capable of anymore."_

_Gabriel's whispers were coming closer. I started feeling myself being pulled away from Randy. He reached out to me and shouted, "John!"_

"_Save me," I uttered, but I doubted anyone heard me._

I shot up in bed and struggled to catch my breath. I glanced around and realized I was in some kind of a cabin, but it was decked out to the nines. I caught sight of Gabriel standing at the side of the bed looking me over, and I remembered what he did to me.

"I am glad that you are awake. I was getting anxious," Gabriel smiled slightly at me like he was engaging an old friend.

Using all the force I could muster, I kicked him in the gut with my good leg and jumped out of bed, rushing for the door without looking back. I heard Gabriel say calmly from behind me, "You can not outrun me, John."

I didn't listen to him. I ran as fast as I could down the hallway of the cabin. There was a wooden staircase that led down to the first floor, and I did my best to get down as fast as possible without tripping myself up or hurting my leg worse. It was throbbing where Gabriel had bitten me, and I knew it would slow me down, but I ignored the pain and kept running.

Once I reached the bottom of the steps, I whirled around and saw the backdoor just down the hallway behind the stairs. I started for it, but Gabriel appeared at the top of the steps, then he leaped over the railing and dropped a full story down to where I was, landing with the ease of an acrobat.

He looked at me curiously and asked, "Why are you running away from me, John? Is there something upsetting you?"

I stared at him in disbelief, then I flew into a fit of rage.

"Are you fucking kidding me? You turned into a giant predator, tackled me and bit me! Now, you're hiding me out in some cabin and you think I'm not upset?"

Gabriel argued with me like he still wasn't catching on, "You are not a prisoner here, John. I brought you here because I assumed you would like some time alone. You were very sick last night and I was afraid for your health. I was not aware that you would be so angry."

I couldn't believe I wasn't getting through to him. I tried to put it in plainer words, "Look, I told you that I didn't want you, and you betrayed me and bit me anyway. As far as I'm concerned, you just made the worst mistake of your miserable life."

Gabriel took on a darker look as my words finally started to sink in. He explained to me, "I told you that I chose you and I could not choose another."

"So you bit me because you don't want to be lonely, is that it?" I yelled.

"What I have done will protect you from the vampires. In your current human form, your senses and strength is amplified so they are no longer hidden from you. Their motives will also be revealed to you and you will understand why this had to be done," he said.

Gabriel seemed to be hinting that I may not be human for long. I locked my jaw and glared at him. He went on, saying more calmly, "We are fully connected now. That means that you feel what I feel, that you know where I am and I know where you are, and if you were to die, I would die."

He looked at me somberly, as if I would somehow be moved to understand because of this revelation. I just leaned into him and told him acidly, "I can't stand to look at you right now."

Gabriel took a step back, reacting with legitimate agony toward my words. I suddenly felt an intense pain in my heart and I groaned as I tried to contain it. Gabriel pointed at me and stated, "Now you know what your words have done to me!"

I couldn't stand the sight of him anymore. I tried to storm off, but the pain in my chest coupled with the pain in my leg made my furious exit look more like random hobbling. I limped my way to an antique chair facing a window and sat down in it. I looked outside, but there was nothing for miles except open land. I put my head in my hands and tried desperately not to start sobbing like a damn baby out of raw frustration.

"I want you to know something," Gabriel came to stand beside me.

My eyes wouldn't meet his, but he continued anyway, saying softly, "When I bit you, I felt your feelings for Randy Orton. I saw your fantasies of him, and I felt your desire for him."

I looked up at him with a vengeful glare and seethed, "That was not meant for you."

Gabriel put his hands up in defeat and replied, "I am telling you that what I saw made me realize how you feel for Randy. I am willing to come to a compromise with him if that will appease you."

I chuckled morosely. Gabriel ignored me and continued, "I want you to be happy, John. You are my companion now, and I will do anything in my power to see that you are protected and looked after. Anything that you want is yours, even Randy. I will still keep my hand out for you with the desire that one day, you will feel the same for me that I feel for you, and you will take my hand."

I watched him take on a more stern look as he stated, "But you must know that you have obligations to our pack and to me. I want you to be a willing companion to me, but I cannot ignore my duties and I expect the same level of service from you."

His words seemed to indicate that he wasn't planning on leaving me alone anytime soon, and as far as he was concerned, we were in a full blown relationship, which meant he'd be asking for sex soon enough. I opened my mouth and said defiantly, "This was not my choice, so that means I'm not obligated to you or anyone else. If you have a problem with that, you can kiss my ass."

Then I turned away from him and stared out the window. He kept his eyes on me for a long time, like he didn't know how to respond, then he asked very calmly, "Would you like me to call Randy for you?"

"Do whatever the fuck you want," I didn't give him the satisfaction of seeing my relief.

He walked out of the room, but I knew he was still nearby. I just stayed where I was and concentrated on my breathing until Randy came.

* * *

There was a knock at the door a short time later. Gabriel came back and went to answer it. I stayed in my seat and pretended like I didn't care one way or the other, but inside I was going off like fireworks.

I heard Gabriel open the door, then he said, "You may come in."

Randy was by my side in an instant. He got down on one knee and reached for my upper thigh, but instinctively, I jerked away, surprising both Randy and myself. He drew his hand back and looked up at me with solemn eyes, asking quietly, "Are you alright?"

"No, no I'm not," I said truthfully.

Gabriel came around to look at me, and my whole temperament went chaotic again. Randy stood up and started for Gabriel, but Gabriel warned him darkly, "You hurt me, and John will feel it."

Randy stopped and stared at Gabriel with clenched fists. There was a long minute of tense silence, then Randy said to Gabriel calmly, "Do you even realize what you've done to John?"

"You should be relieved that he is safe from the contests that come with vampire-human relations," Gabriel pointed out.

Randy shook his head and replied, "No, you didn't do this to protect him from me or the other vampires. You did this because you're selfish, and you know full well that his mark means Punk and the others will be worse on him because of what you've done."

Gabriel swallowed hard and glanced at me. It was written all over his face that Randy was exactly right. Moving on, Randy pointed at me and explained, "What I meant was that you bit John."

Scoffing, Gabriel countered, "You bit him as well!"

Randy leaned in closely to Gabriel and stated, "That's because he wanted me to, and I did everything in my power to make it as pleasurable as possible for him, but his body still naturally responded to that kind of trauma by almost slipping into shock."

Gabriel became confused, so Randy clarified for him, "You bit him when he was unprepared and while you were in your wolf form. That means that his body is reacting the way it would when it's been attacked by a wild animal. The damage from that kind of trauma leaves physical _and_ mental scars."

I felt a sudden sense of panic and disdain. It was Gabriel's feelings when he realized the damage he had caused me. The sense faded and Gabriel tried to regain his control, telling Randy, "I will do whatever is needed to give John peace. I will fix any trouble that I have caused."

Randy stared Gabriel down and replied morosely, "You don't just fix this kind of broken."

Tears of frustration formed in Gabriel's eyes and he asked, "What can I do? What will make this right for him?"

"You will let him leave with me," Randy stated.

Gabriel widened his eyes with surprise. I got up to my feet and added, "You said I could go with Randy when I wanted to, Gabriel, and I want to now."

There were several tense seconds where I was sure Gabriel would tell us both no, but instead, he lowered his gaze and said, "You may go."

Randy was out the door faster than I could see. I became confused, wondering why he had just taken off without me, then he reappeared with a bucket of car oil and splashed it all over Gabriel.

Gabriel cried out and slipped in the oil, falling flat on his back. He tried to get up but he kept slipping in the slick around him and he growled with intense frustration. Randy nodded at him and said boldly, "You take what you deserve, Dog."

"You are a bastard!" Gabriel fumed, but Randy just smiled arrogantly.

* * *

Randy took me back to his hotel room and let me take a long, hot shower while he went out to get me something to eat. It took all I had to look down at the bite mark Gabriel put over Randy's on my hip. Gabriel's teeth marks were much more obvious and he had bitten down deep enough to expose the muscle underneath. It was black from bruising and clotting and just looking at it made me sick. I tried to clean it out with soap, but it seemed like nothing I did made it any better, so I finally gave up and decided to ignore it completely.

I just put on a pair of boxers and laid in bed watching TV until Randy came back. He stayed close to me while still maintaining enough comfortable distance that I wasn't distracted by him while I ate. He would watch me carefully, then look away when I caught him staring. I finished eating and lay down comfortably before I asked him, "Why are you looking at me like that?"

"I don't know how bad Gabriel fucked you up. I'm trying to decide whether I should sleep in the same bed with you or not," Randy replied.

"What does that mean? Do you think I'm going to flip out on you?" I retorted loudly.

"It's not that. I just don't want to make you feel worse," Randy said.

His gaze told me that he wasn't joking. I suddenly panicked, sitting up straight as I shouted at him, "What? You're going to make me stay the night alone?"

Randy leaned in and explained, "You won't be alone. I just know you're freaked out and I'm not helping the situation..."

"Stay with me," I whispered.

Randy didn't say another word. He lay down and I rested my head on his chest, clutching his t-shirt like a security blanket while we watched TV together in silence. Randy asked me after a space of time without words, "Could I take a look at the bite?"

"Not now,"I tensed up just at the thought of having to look at it again.

"Whenever you're ready," Randy told me, becoming quiet again.

After another block of silence, I suddenly asked, "Randy?"

"Yeah," he replied.

"Will Gabriel know if you fuck me?" I asked.

Randy pondered his answer quietly for several long seconds before he answered thickly, "Whatever you feel from him, he feels from you ten times as strong. He will know it, and he'll feel every goddamn second of it."

"Randy, I need you to know something," I said.

"You don't have to tell me now," he seemed to already know what I was thinking.

I looked up at his blue-green eyes and told him, "Gabriel wants to fuck me, and I'm betting I can't stall him forever, but if I want any of this to be on my terms, then I just want you to know that I want you to fuck me first."

He gazed at me with a kind of compassion that I had never seen from him before, then he told me quietly, "Sleep now, John. We'll talk about this later."

I rested my head on his chest again and closed my eyes to sleep, asking softly, "Do you even want to fuck me?"

He waited until I was almost asleep before he whispered in response, "More than anything."


	9. Chapter 9

9:

"...would like to see him."

I opened my eyes and listened. I was sure I just heard a voice.

"He just woke up. Come back later when he's ready to see you," Randy warned.

I sat up and saw Randy at the open door, blocking someone on the other side from coming in. I could hear Gabriel's voice and I recognized it as the one I had heard when I woke up as he said, "I would like to see him now. It is my duty to make certain he is alright."

Randy glanced back at me, but continued to block Gabriel as he stated firmly, "You know he is alright, because you would've felt it otherwise. Go back to the arena and we'll be there soon."

I got up and started for the door. Gabriel argued with Randy, "Why do you think that you can instruct me on how to watch over John? He is my..."

I grabbed the edge of the door and pulled it open wide enough so that I could see Gabriel as I asked him darkly, "What do you want?"

He made an expression like he was hoping I would be more excited to see him, then he quickly regrouped and asked, "How are you this morning, John? I did not like the way we left things, I have come to formally apologize."

"I don't really wanna talk about all this drama right now," I shrugged.

Gabriel instantly glared at Randy and asked, "What have you done? Why is he acting this way toward me?"

Randy opened his mouth to argue, but I got there first, telling Gabriel, "Get in here. Randy, close the door."

Gabriel came inside and Randy reluctantly closed the door. I came within inches of Gabriel and told him, "Talk to me any way you want, I'll deal with that the way I see fit, but if you start accusing Randy so you can have a bunch of reasons to split us up, then I'll take a carving knife to my leg and cut off the mark you left on me. Are we clear?"

Taking a big step back, Gabriel nodded, his expression startled. I could feel his emotions welling up inside of me, telling me that he legitimately feared for my safety. I ignored it and continued to act passive, asking again, "What do you want, Gabriel?"

"I told you, I have come to formally apologize," Gabriel said.

I couldn't help snorting laughter. Randy lifted his brows at me but Gabriel lowered his and asked harshly, "What do you find so humorous?"

That time, I did laugh, which only made Gabriel fume. I told him, "It's the way you talk. Why do you have to be so...correct about things?"

"There is nothing wrong with literacy," Gabriel argued, which only made me laugh harder.

Randy chuckled shortly and Gabriel glared at him, then he looked back at me and asked angrily, "What has happened to you?"

I stood up straight and countered seriously, "Nothing has happened to me. This is who I am! You would know that if you didn't bite first and ask questions later."

A sharp pain ripped through my heart, and I was beginning to recognize this sensation as the one that came after I did something to truly hurt Gabriel. I turned around to cringe so that Gabriel didn't see it, but I knew both he and Randy were probably well aware of what was going on.

Gabriel regrouped his feelings and the pain in my heart faded. I turned around and he pulled the wolfsbane necklace out of his pocket and handed it to me, saying, "I would like to return this to you."

Randy came up beside Gabriel with a shocked look on his face and asked, "How can you carry that around? Wolfsbane repels your kind!"

Gabriel kept his eyes on me while he explained simply, "Wolfsbane has no effect on me. I have a very rare genetic mutation. There have only been two others like me in all of recorded time."

Randy lifted an eyebrow of skepticism. I took the necklace and asked, "Well, why would you give it back to me if it's a wolf repellant?"

Gabriel turned his head to one side and answered, "Because it is yours."

"Oh. Right. So I guess werewolves are not into the finders keepers rule," I joked, shoving the necklace into my pocket.

"Do you believe I would steal your things?" Gabriel was completely confused.

I shook my head and changed the subject, asking, "Is that all?"

"I will be training in the ring this afternoon against Batista. You will come...I mean...I would be grateful if you would come to ringside to observe me," Gabriel said.

"Yeah, I'll think about it," I replied with a shrug.

Gabriel blinked and stared at me like I had just told him his best friend died. I turned away from him and went to the bathroom, saying before I slammed the door, "I'll see you at the arena, Gabriel!"

* * *

Randy had rented an open Jeep for transportation, and after he stopped to get me some breakfast, he parked us on a hill overlooking an open prairie so we could watch the sunrise while I ate. Randy rested his head in my lap and watched me engulf my mouth with huge bites of food like it was much more interesting than the purple and red sunrise. When I was almost finished, I swallowed another huge bite and asked, "What's so exciting about watching me stuff my face?"

"I'd say something like you look cute when you're eating but you really don't," Randy joked dryly.

"Oh, thanks," I retorted sarcastically before grabbing another bite.

Randy watched me quietly for a while longer, then he mentioned, "You really should go and watch Gabriel this afternoon."

I widened my eyes at him and swallowed my mouthful of food so I could ask, "What do you mean? I thought you'd be glad I blew Gabriel off!"

"I'm talking about Batista. You could see if he has any new moves up his sleeve. Punk will probably be there, too," Randy explained.

Scoffing, I asked, "Why are Punk and Batista suddenly all bromantic? They like, never hung out with each other before."

Randy chuckled at my bromance reference, then he answered, "They've always been close, but Punk was on Smackdown so they almost never saw each other. They both have the same idea about vampire superiority."

"What's that?" I asked curiously.

With a disagreeable frown, Randy replied, "Punk and Batista used to have a campaign going to get all of the werewolves to leave the WWE. It started getting violent, then Batista left and there was kind of an unspoken truce. Since Batista came back, there's been a lot of tension, but the werewolves figured the vampires were too concerned with you to restart the campaign."

I could already see where the story was going as I added, "But Gabriel bit me and that fucked things up royally, right?"

"Exactly," Randy confirmed.

"Where are you in all of this?" I asked him.

Randy sighed like he didn't want to answer me, but he explained anyway, "Punk doesn't trust you now that you're basically a part of Gabriel's pack. He thinks I failed to protect you from their influence and he is motioning with the District Manager to have my status downgraded and restricted."

"What does that mean?" I asked quietly.

Randy shook his head and replied, "It's not important. The District Managers only punish big time offenders. Besides, Punk is always filing motions because he likes to think he has lots of power."

I didn't think Randy was telling me the whole truth, but I dropped it anyway. I finished my last bite of breakfast and asked him curiously, "So how strong are you? I mean like, what's your limit?"

Randy half-smiled and took my hand to gently squeeze it between his own as he said, "I tried to test my limits once, but I freaked myself out."

"No way! What did you do?" I asked excitedly.

Randy scoffed and replied, "I don't know, I walked in front of a train going at full speed, I jumped off a few skyscrapers...then I tried to fly past the atmosphere, but that was too weird..."

"I was going to ask you about that. I hear wings sometimes when you're around but I don't see you in the air," I mentioned.

"That's because I'm moving too fast...and I don't really want you to see it because my wings are very frightening," Randy said.

"What's that supposed to mean? Do they make you look like a drag queen or something?" I joked.

Randy sat up and locked eyes with me, saying morosely, "I'm serious, John. My wings are meant to make me appear more devastating to my victims. I don't want you to see me like that."

I angrily folded my arms and replied, "I really hate it when you talk to me like I'm just some idiot human who doesn't understand! I think I should be able to see these things for myself and then decide if it's so devastating or not!"

The bite on my hip started to throb and I shifted uncomfortably, wondering if Gabriel was feeling my anger at that moment. Randy dropped the subject and asked me with concern, "Are you hurting?"

"It's just random stabs of pain, I'll get over it," I replied shortly.

Randy was quiet for a few seconds, then he asked thickly, "Is there anything I can do?"

"No," I whispered.

Randy gazed out at the rising sun, then he said to me, "I think you should know that you might respond differently to some things because Gabriel bit you."

"Like what?" I asked, grateful for anything more Randy could tell me.

He looked at me and replied, "Like you'll start to distinguish the supernatural from the human. You'll be especially sensitive to vampires. They might make you feel dizzy and off-balance."

"You don't make me dizzy," I mentioned.

Randy moved in next to me and pressed his lips to my left temple. I felt a sudden wave of dizziness that passed almost as quickly as it came. He pulled his lips away and whispered into my ear, "There are other things, but you'll probably only notice them with me."

"Why is that?" I asked quietly.

"Because they're sexual things," Randy stated thickly.

"What are they? Tell me," I looked up at him.

He leaned into me and drifted the end of his nose and chin across my forehead, down to my cheekbones, nuzzling me in a deliberate way. Much to my surprise, my insides were lighting up and my nerves felt like sparklers. I couldn't remember ever responding so dramatically to such a simple touch before.

"What's happening to me?" I asked Randy with a sense of awe.

"Werewolves mostly speak to each other through body language because they can't use their voices in wolf form. It's all about pattern and intent. Nuzzling communicates affection, deep connection, and sexual attraction, depending on how you do it," Randy explained.

I smiled and said, "Well, what you just did feels really good."

He nudged my lower jaw with his chin, and I automatically started laughing. I stopped after a few seconds and asked, "What was that?"

"A pattern of happiness," Randy replied.

"How do you know all of this when you're a vampire?" I asked.

"I do my research," he answered simply.

He nudged me again, but this time, he kept his chin against my lower jaw and gave me a quick and subtle second nudge that made my insides feel warm. He whispered to me, "That's a sexual nudge. It's very similar to the attack nudge, so you have to get it just right."

"Tell me more," I asked, feeling completely turned on.

He brought his lips to my ear again and whispered, "Turn around."

I slowly turned away from him and got up on my knees in the seat. Randy came up behind me and pressed his body against mine. He had done this to me in my dreams, but this was the first time I felt him like this while awake, and it was not only extremely stimulating, but my arousal level was on overdrive and I couldn't shut it off. Randy smoothly informed me, "Werewolves prefer this position the most. It's obvious when they're in wolf form, but in human form, it gives them the most powerful release."

He lightly kissed the back of my neck, then he told me thickly, "You're not a werewolf, but your connection to Gabriel means you'll probably feel the same effects this way."

The tension was too strong inside of me. I said out loud, "I can't take this anymore. Fuck me now, Randy."

He tried to calm me, saying, "It's too soon since Gabriel bit you, John. I could end up hurting you or making you feel worse..."

"No, I want you _now_, Randy," I argued with him.

"John, I can't. I want to, please know that I do, but I can't risk what could happen to you," Randy said, his voice catching.

The tension inside was threatening to break me. I suddenly felt like I wanted to just start running and never stop. My breathing sounded like panting and my heart thudded in my chest. I cried out with frustration and shouted at Randy, "Do something, goddammit!"

He flipped me over and laid me down in the seat, then Randy unzipped my jeans and took out my erection. Before I could say another word, Randy went down on me and surrounded my dick with his mouth.

The energy slowly started to drain from me. Randy's tongue smoothed over my groin and teased my balls, bringing me closer to release while lowering my level of tension. I moaned and kicked the seat, trying to relax, to not fight it...

I came suddenly. It was amazingly powerful, and my body went limp as the energy left me completely. Randy came back up to face me and said dryly, "Well, that was fast."

"Your turn," I said, reaching into his jeans.

Randy was already hard, and his eyes widened when I took hold of him. I started massaging his shaft, watching him as he growled with pleasure and focused right back on me. His dick felt warm to the touch, but it was as stiff and strong as marble in my palm. I squeezed him a little and Randy jerked violently, hitting the top of the passenger's seat with the back of his hand.

The top of the seat broke clear off its hinges and flew out of the back of the Jeep. I was totally astonished but I kept going, curious to see what he might do if I grabbed his balls and squeezed.

I tried it, and he kicked the driver's side door out.

"Shit, Randy!" I was starting to get turned on again just watching him destroy things.

"Sorry," Randy chuckled, then he leaned in and kissed me.

His tongue sank into my mouth and explored my taste while I continued stroking him. He kept grabbing at various car parts and tearing them off like the Jeep was made of cardboard. When most of the Jeep was gone around us, I became anxious and let go.

Randy parted lips with me and asked, "What's wrong?"

"I don't know if I'm doing this right. I mean, am I even remotely strong enough to be masturbating a vampire?" I asked.

Randy busted out laughing and I became agitated, adding quickly, "I'm serious! I'm practically squeezing you and rubbing you as hard as I can but your dick is like marble!"

He stopped laughing and came down so he was an inch from my lips as he whispered, "Don't try so hard to please me, John. You have no idea how much you make me feel just by being near me."

I frowned because I didn't quite believe him. It didn't seem possible that someone as invincible as Randy could feel that much from a simple human like me.

"Come here," he pulled me into a kiss, then he pressed his lips against my ear and said, "You don't understand, John. Vampires feel everything on an extreme level. Climax is satisfying, yes, but everything else you do to me is just as powerful."

I breathed a long sigh and Randy lifted his head to meet my gaze. I took his dick in my hand again, but this time, I just moved slowly up and down his shaft. Randy closed his eyes and made heavy groans like I was doing something remarkable to him. I kept going, feeling some strain in my wrist from trying to keep hold of Randy's powerful erection.

"John," Randy groaned, then he lurched forward and made a low humming noise that echoed through my ears.

"Whoa. What was that?" I asked when he was done.

"A wave of sound that humans can't make. You're really that good," Randy chuckled.

I felt nothing on my stomach where Randy had pressed his dick against me when he came and I asked, "Why didn't you squirt?"

"Vampires don't do that," Randy informed me.

"Ow," I said out loud.

"John?" Randy looked down at me, but I passed out before I could answer him.

_I was wandering through the fog again, but Gabriel quickly came into view and I walked over to him. He looked disturbed but asked me calmly, "Are you alright?"_

"_I'm fine. I was with Randy and I want to go back to him now," I said._

"_You may return to him, but I want you at the arena or I will seek both of you out," Gabriel warned me like a parent restricting their teenager._

"_Look, I don't know why you're..." I started._

_Gabriel's eyes widened and he opened his mouth to warn me, but it was too late._

_I was blindsided by a force so strong, it made the dream world around me spin. I hit the ground and quickly looked up to see my attacker._

_It was Punk, and he didn't look happy with me._


	10. Chapter 10

10:

_Punk turned his head to one side and stared me down as he said passively, "You are making it very difficult for me to help you, Cena."_

_He smiled to reassure me of his intentions, but I knew he was lying through his teeth._

"_Punk, would you please get off of me?" I asked._

_He just stared down at me. I started to pull out from underneath him, but he slammed his palms against my chest and he wouldn't let me go._

_I saw Gabriel in wolf form out of the corner of my eye. He snapped at Punk and Punk leaned away, letting me go as he stood up and backed off. _

_Gabriel stood over me and I stayed where I was. Last time I had seen him in this form, he had bitten me, so I wasn't about to contest him. He stared Punk down and snarled wickedly, almost daring Punk to come closer._

_Randy appeared from the mist and focused right on me. I nodded my head that I was alright, then Randy turned to Punk and said, "You shouldn't be here."_

_Punk glared at Randy but didn't respond. I realized that Gabriel seemed to have the most control over the dream, since he was the one who brought me into it in the first place, so I whispered to him, "Could you make Punk go away?"_

_Gabriel glanced down at me and nodded his furry wolf head. He then focused on Punk and bore his fangs like he may attack._

"_Bitch..." Punk said as he faded away._

_When Punk was gone, I smiled at Gabriel and said, "Thank you. Now, could you please let me up?"_

_Gabriel moved aside. He stood on his hind legs and his wolf form began to sizzle and boil. It pulled apart and melted off of Gabriel's body, revealing the human Gabriel underneath. The melted pieces of the wolf form splattered onto the ground and faded away, revealing a bearded Gabriel in all his glory._

_He was drenched in sweat, which made his skin appear to glow. He turned to one side and stared out at the mist like he could see something there, completely ignoring me. That was probably a good thing, because I was staring right at his exposed crotch. His dick was average in length, but he made up for it in width. The thought occurred to me that, if we did end up fucking, it would be a real tight fit. _

_Randy came around to step into my view, asking me, "Do you need some help?"_

"_Yeah, thanks," I said, taking his hand so he could pull me to my feet._

_We both looked back at Gabriel as I asked, "What is he doing?"_

"_He's listening to the other members of his pack. They can speak to him more clearly in his dreams," Randy informed me._

"_I don't hear anything," I said._

"_It's not meant for you," Randy replied._

_I nodded and waited for Gabriel to return his attention to us. I glanced at Randy and I noticed that his gaze had also shifted to Gabriel's crotch. I leaned into Randy and whispered, "I need to talk to you later."_

_He looked at me and smiled wryly, and I knew he was aware of what I was thinking about Gabriel's fullness. _

_Gabriel turned his attention back to us and asked, "You are coming to the arena?"_

"_If you let us wake up, then yes, we'll be there," I told him._

_Gabriel bowed his head and replied, "Very well."_

I opened my eyes and found myself staring up at Randy. He was looking at me with a concerned expression as he asked, "Are you alright?"

I nodded and sat up. My head instantly started to spin and I held it as I said, "Wow, that was a trip."

"Gabriel shouldn't have brought you into the dream so quickly. It is physically draining," Randy argued.

"Well, it's done now. I'm just glad he made Punk take a hike," I said.

"He'll be at the arena, too, you know," Randy lifted a brow at me.

"I know, but you'll be there with me, so I know I'll be safe," I replied.

* * *

We reached the arena in record time. Randy drove so fast, my surroundings just looked like a blur as we passed. I stayed close to him when we entered the arena, unsure of whom or what would jump out at us at any given moment.

Randy and I walked out to the stage and saw Batista already in the ring fighting with Barrett. Punk was in Batista's corner, shouting supportive and coaching words. Gabriel was in Barrett's corner, but Gabriel turned his attention to us as soon as we appeared.

Gabriel looked at me and gave me a broad and legitimate grin. Barrett must've seen it, because he stumbled a bit in the ring and Batista almost decked him with a right hook. Barrett moved out of the way just in time, but managed to shoot me a venomous glare before focusing on Batista again. I ignored Barrett and made my way to Gabriel. I was surprised when Gabriel took my hand and squeezed it, saying, "I am glad that you have come."

Something about his touch made my insides tingle. It wasn't like when Randy touched me, but there was definitely a connection there. I became uncomfortable and pulled my hand away, saying quickly, "Uh...I'm glad to be here."

Gabriel's smile faded and I felt a twinge of sadness, then he turned back to the ring and watched Barrett. Randy and I did the same, and at first, it appeared that Barrett was gaining the upper hand, but Batista's moves were getting more and more violent, until suddenly he grabbed Barrett into a scoop slam and tossed him at an angle so that Barrett landed on his head instead of his back.

We all heard a loud crack. Barrett sat up and grabbed onto the back of his head. Gabriel's eyes lit up with fury as he grabbed onto the bottom rope and climbed up to the top rope with ease. Gabriel pointed at Batista and yelled something in African that I assumed was very insulting.

Batista shrugged at him and said mockingly, "Sorry, I don't speak anything but English and bad English."

Gabriel bounced into the ring and argued, "You hurt him on purpose!"

Batista shook his head and replied, "I would never do such a thing!"

It was so obvious he were lying, and I knew he was making it that way to further insult Gabriel. With a snarl of disapproval at Batista, Gabriel turned his back on him and went over to help Barrett. Angered by the snub, Batista started for Gabriel.

I opened my mouth to warn Gabriel, but I didn't have to. Gabriel turned to face Batista and launched into him with a series of super fast punches that would bring a professional boxing champion to tears. Gabriel focused on Batista's stomach, then his chest, then his head when Batista leaned forward from the impact. Gabriel then drop kicked Batista to finish him off, and Batista tumbled out of the ring.

My eyes widened as I said aloud, "Whoa."

Punk slammed his fists against the side of the ring and yelled at Gabriel, "You can't do that! This is wrestling, not martial arts!"

"I will do as I please to defend myself!" Gabriel countered acidly.

Punk cursed angrily and went to help Batista. I turned to look at Randy, but he was already on his way back up the ramp. I quickly told Gabriel, "See ya," and took off after Randy.

I glanced back once before we made it backstage. Gabriel as still in the ring, but he was staring at me like he couldn't understand why I was so eager to leave him.

* * *

The show went flawlessly, and I competed with Miz in the main event. When we got back to the locker room, I took my bag and went to the other side of the locker room where the closed shower stalls were. I didn't want anyone seeing the bite mark on my hip.

I didn't hear anyone around, and it was nice to just listen to the silence for once. I finished my shower and got out, and that's when I noticed it was a little too quiet.

I suddenly felt dizzy and I knew that a vampire had to be around. I hoped it was Randy, but my instincts told me it wasn't.

"Guys?" I called out, mostly to let anyone around know I was there.

I sensed a presence behind me, and I turned my head just in time to see Batista grab me by my head. He picked me up off the ground and twisted my neck so that my head was at an odd angle.

He was going to break my neck.

I tried to cry out but the angle was pressurizing my windpipe. I slammed my eyes shut and focused on my emotions. If I generated a sense of panic, Gabriel would feel it. I just had to believe that he would feel it in time.

The stall door burst open, temporarily distracting both Batista and I. Something flew in from our left and ran straight into Batista. He let me go and I stumbled to the floor just as Gabriel rushed through the open stall door and reached out to take my hand, telling me, "Come, John!"

I took his hand and he pulled me out of the stall. I could hear cracking and breaking and the usual sounds of demolition behind me as Gabriel pulled me out the back exit and led me through several darkened hallways to the parking lot. A car was waiting for us and Gabriel let go of me as I rushed into it. He got in and tore away at full speed, not speaking a word as we left the arena behind us.

It took me a few minutes to regroup. I was breathing heavily and in a panic as my mind flashed with memories of the last time I broke my neck fighting Batista. I was out on injury and had to have surgery, and it was the scariest time of my life. That time, it was an accident, but this time, Batista had tried to intentionally put me on the injured list.

"I am sorry," Gabriel said suddenly, breaking me from my thoughts.

"What?" I asked.

"You are very distraught, I can feel it. I am sorry that Batista has frightened you so much," he answered.

"I'm not frightened by him, it just scares the hell outta me to have my neck broken again," I said.

Gabriel locked eyes with me, then he glanced down. I looked down as well and realized I was still completely naked and somewhat drenched since I had been attacked after just coming out of the shower.

"This would be embarrassing, but fuck it," I surmised with a shrug.

"I was not looking at what you think. I was observing your bite," he nodded at my hip.

"Oh," I mumbled, but I wouldn't look at it.

We were both quiet for over a minute, then Gabriel said quietly, "The bite will continue to worsen and fester. You will endure much pain and undeserved suffering if you do not allow me to make love to you and seal our bond."

"I really don't want to talk about this right now," I replied shortly.

Gabriel sighed heavily, but let it go. I had no idea where he was taking me, but I didn't bother to ask. We drove almost half an hour before reaching an old motel just outside of town. Gabriel took me around to the other side so that no one saw me, then I followed him to one of the rooms and he reached up to knock.

The door flew open and Randy appeared. I breathed a sigh of relief, then I tensed when I saw that his exposed upper chest had been clawed, leaving deep and bloody marks. I knew then that it was Randy I saw flying into Batista.

"You're late," Randy told Gabriel gruffly.

"I do not drive as quickly as you do," Gabriel countered, walking past Randy into the room.

I gave Randy a sympathetic expression and he moved aside so I could come in. He closed the door and turned to face me, but his gaze went right to the bite on my hip. His expression turned into a mix of fury and horror, and I knew that the mark was really bad.

"Do you have something I could wear?" I asked Randy awkwardly.

He looked back up at me and nodded slowly, answering, "Yes, I'll get you something."

Randy went around to get his bag while Gabriel turned to me and asked, "Did Batista tell you why he intended to hurt you?"

"He's never been exactly conversational with me," I answered sarcastically.

Gabriel frowned and I clarified more seriously, "No, he didn't say anything."

Gabriel opened his mouth to ask another question, but Randy stepped between us to hand me some clothes as he told Gabriel, "We'll discuss details later."

Nodding shortly, Gabriel sat down and let me get dressed. Randy had given me a pair of boxers and a t-shirt, and as soon as I was clothed, I went to him and asked, "What can we do about your chest?"

I touched the claw marks with my fingertips and Randy groaned with a mix of pleasure and pain. Gabriel stood up and explained, "We could rub my saliva on it. That would make it heal much faster."

"I'm not letting you spit on my chest," Randy retorted angrily.

"Randy, you can't be walking around like this. Everyone will notice," I warned him.

He gave me a hard expression, but he knew I was right.

"Fine," Randy relented, and Gabriel went to the bathroom to grab a cup.

I took a step closer to Randy and he parted his legs so I could step in even closer. He lightly kissed my abs, then he rested his head against me. I rubbed his shoulders as I whispered down at him, "Thank you for stopping Batista."

"He'll be back," Randy refused to take any credit.

"It doesn't matter. You've stopped him for now," I said.

He looked up at me and our eyes locked. I wanted so badly to kiss him, it hurt inside.

Gabriel came back out and Randy and I were forced to break away. Gabriel pretended like he didn't notice as he brought a cup and washcloth with him, explaining, "It is half-water and half-saliva. It should work the same."

"I want to do it," I took the cup and washcloth from him before Gabriel could argue with me.

I noticed something odd about the cup and I sniffed it, mentioning, "It smells good. Did you put something else in it?"

Gabriel shook his head and replied, "My saliva is very potent. Perhaps our bond makes you attracted to me chemically as well."

I snorted laughter and Gabriel asked, "What is humorous about that?"

I dipped the washcloth into the cup to wet it as I answered dryly, "I'm attracted to your spit."

Randy laughed out loud and Gabriel frowned at us both. I went on, saying, "Randy's spit heals me and Gabriel's spit turns me on. I am one lucky guy!"

Gabriel shook his head at me but Randy continued to laugh until I pressed the washcloth to his wound. It sizzled and he hissed with pain but didn't pull away. It appeared like Gabriel's saliva was burning Randy's wound closed. I worked quietly and efficiently, not wanting Randy to endure pain any longer than necessary.

When I finished, I stepped back to let Randy rest. Gabriel stood up and told me abruptly, "We are leaving now."

"What? I'm staying here!" I blurted.

Gabriel gave me a hard stare and replied, "You have spent your time with Randal. Now, you must spend time with me."

I was angry. Angry that Gabriel treated me like a five-year-old, and angry that I was being told to leave Randy so soon. I put the cup and washcloth down and folded my arms, saying stiffly, "I am NOT leaving."

Gabriel could see in my eyes that I was dead serious. He finally nodded and said, "Very well, we shall stay here."

"We?" Randy started.

"I will stay here with John, yes," Gabriel stated.

"You're not sleeping with John," Randy stood up.

"Then you are not sleeping with him, either!" Gabriel argued.

They both stood head-to-head and I knew a fight was about to start, so I yelled, "I'll sleep on the floor!"

Randy and Gabriel turned to face me with confused expressions. I explained quickly, "It's Randy's room, so he can take the bed, and Gabriel, you can go wherever you want, and I'll sleep on the floor."

"No way, human gets the bed," Randy said.

Gabriel nodded and told me, "He is right. We do not require a sufficient sleeping surface like you do."

"Whatever," I put my hands up in defeat.

I rolled into bed and Randy turned the television on. He lay down on the floor to the right of the bed, and Gabriel took the left side. They didn't take any pillows or blankets, and I was surprised they were the least bit comfortable. I watched TV for a while until Gabriel mentioned, "You should sleep, John. It is very late."

"I'll sleep when I want," I argued, but I closed my eyes a few minutes later.


End file.
